NASA's Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft recently completed a critical milestone on its path to mapping the Moon. The smallsat, designed and built by Lockheed Martin engineers, wrapped up environmental testing, a rigorous process designed to ensure it can withstand the harsh conditions of launch and space.

Why it matters: This is a significant step forward for the mission, which aims to map water and temperature on the lunar surface and deepen our understanding of the Moon’s water cycle.

The details: A spacecraft must endure extreme temperatures, vacuum and the physical stress of launch. That’s why environmental testing is crucial for mission success—the tests simulate the conditions Lunar Trailblazer will face en route to the Moon, ensuring it can survive and operate as planned.

How it works: The spacecraft was subjected to a series of tests, including:

• Thermal vacuum (TVAC) tests, which simulated the temperature extremes and vacuum of space, showing Lunar Trailblazer can function in both the blistering heat of the Sun and the frigid cold of deep space.
• Vibration tests, which involved shaking the spacecraft to mimic the violent forces of launch, confirming that it can handle the ride to space.
• Propulsion functionality, which tested the propulsion system to guarantee the spacecraft functions as intended once it makes it into lunar orbit.
• Solar array deployment, which evaluated the ability of the spacecraft’s two solar arrays to deploy on command, testing the post-launch release, and generate electricity to power the spacecraft and its instruments.

Passing these tests gives confidence that the spacecraft hardware is ready for the environmental challenges of space.

What’s next? With environmental testing complete, the focus of Lunar Trailblazer shifts to final preparations. The spacecraft will undergo final system checks, including its flight software and command during two key types of activities:

• Launch and initial trajectory-correction maneuvers.
• Science data mapping in lunar orbit.

“The team is now performing tests that will simulate key aspects of the mission, such as launch and the primary science mission to ensure the spacecraft will perform as designed once it arrives in lunar orbit,” said Ryan Pfeiffer, Lunar Trailblazer program manager at Lockheed Martin. “We’re planning to ship the spacecraft to Florida about a month prior to launch, where we will perform final checkouts and then assist with integration onto the launch vehicle.”

Readying for launch: Lunar Trailblazer is a rideshare on a SpaceX Falcon 9 launch vehicle with Intuitive Machine’s IM-2 mission late this year or early 2025.

Its mission underscores NASA’s commitment to exploring and understanding our closest celestial neighbor. Every step brings us closer to unlocking the Moon’s secrets and paving the way for human space exploration beyond Earth.