NASA's Latest Moon Mission Successfully Launches On Falcon 9 Rocket

Cape Canaveral, FL – Less than 24 hours after completing a static fire test of its Merlin 1D engines, SpaceX successfully launched its Falcon 9 rocket from Pad 39A at the Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida at 3:37 a.m. EST on Wednesday, December 7th.

The mission, dubbed Space Launch Complex (SLC) 4E by SpaceX, sent a new batch of 52 Starlink internet satellites, bringing the total number of Starlinks launched to just over 2,000. But perhaps the more noteworthy accomplishment of this launch was sending a special piece of equipment toward the Moon.

Deep inside the nose cone of the Falcon 9's payload fairing was a small satellite, a fraction of the size of the Starlink satellites, destined for the Moon to pave the way for a new generation of lunar exploration and discovery.

This satellite, dubbed LunaNet, is an important milestone in NASA's Artemis program, which seeks to return humans to the Moon later this decade.

According to NASA administrator, Bill Nelson, "NASA's LunaNet mission is a critical step in shaping the future of Moon exploration by creating a innovative lunar communications network that is scalable, reliable, and flexible."

LunaNet is a small satellite, or nanosat, that is equipped with a software-defined radio that will enable it to communicate with Artemis program missions on the Moon and with missions communicating through the Deep Space Network here on Earth.

Currently, communication with lunar missions is heavily reliant on the Deep Space Network, a system of large antennas on Earth. These antennas communicate with satellites and spacecraft in deep space, transmitting commands and receiving data.

However, this communication strategy is limited as the antenna signals weaken as they travel through the Earth's atmosphere, requiring satellites to periodically transmit their data back to Earth when they are in view of the antennas.

As part of Artemis, LunaNet is set to introduce a lunar communications network that will enable more consistent and reliable contact with lunar missions, directly from the Moon. This will be crucial for upcoming missions, including NASA's own Volatile Withdrawal and Exploration Ground Systems, as well as commercial missions like those from the Moon Coalition, which includes companies like SpaceX.

Speaking of SpaceX, Nelson gave praise to the company and its founder, Elon Musk, for supporting this mission. "I want to express NASA's deep gratitude to SpaceX, not only for partnering with us on this mission but also for sponsoring a novel satellite design and production approach," said Nelson.

The LunaNet nanosat was developed under a new approach to contracting, calling for hand-off of responsibility for designing and building a satellite from a traditional prime contractor to a small satellite manufacturer. For this mission, that small satellite manufacturer was Terran Orbital.

"This novel approach lowers the barrier of entry for entrepreneurs and small businesses to participate in deep space exploration missions and brings the benefits of commercial innovation to space exploration," continued Nelson.

The mission of LunaNet is to demonstrate the feasibility of using small satellites to support lunar exploration and science, while also leveraging existing, proven technologies, such as SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket.

The nanosat was deployed into orbit about an hour after launch, and it will spend the next year conducting a variety of communications tests, evaluating its ability to communicate with lunar missions and the Deep Space Network, as well as demonstrating its ability to relay communications between the two.

Bruce Betts, chief scientist at NASA's Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, believes the nanosat "will show how small satellites can be used in novel ways to support exploration and science missions in deep space."

"This is a low-cost way to advance our knowledge of the Moon and demonstrate the value of small satellites in deep space," added Betts.

As NASA looks to return humans to the Moon as part of the Artemis program, missions like LunaNet are paving the way for new discoveries, enabling future communications and furthering our understanding of the Moon.

With the success of this mission, it won't be long until we see LunaNet put to work, supporting upcoming lunar missions and enhancing our ability to explore the Moon.

This launch also continues the impressive track record of SpaceX's Falcon 9, which has now launched nearly 150 times, including transporting crew members to the International Space Station (ISS), sending cargo to the ISS, and lofting numerous satellites and spacecraft into orbit and beyond.

For this launch, Falcon 9 flew in its Full Thrust configuration, Block 5 variant, which is capable of launching payloads into a variety of orbit altitudes and trajectories, making it a versatile workhorse for SpaceX.

The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket that launched Wednesday was also flight-proven, having supported five previous missions, including the Crew-5 mission to the ISS. This continues SpaceX's mission mantra of reusability, saving time and resources by refurbishing and reusing their rockets, thus cutting costs for space exploration.

For future missions, this particular Falcon 9 first stage will be returned to the SpaceX facility at KSC, where it will be inspected, refurbished, and then flown again, perhaps as soon as the next Starlink mission, slated to launch in January.

As we enter a new year, the Artemis program continues to pave the way for a new era of lunar exploration, with missions like LunaNet preparing the way for more ambitious missions and discoveries.

With each launch, we edge closer to sending the first crew of the Artemis program to the Moon in 2024, further solidifying our presence in space and our continued exploration and discovery of the Final Frontier.