Plate Nº 49 · recorded September 30, 2026
Space & AstronomyReported finding
NASA Picks Three New Payload Suites to Scout Its Future Moon Base
NASA has chosen three new instrument suites — a hazard monitor, a lava-tube scanner, and an ice mapper — to pave the way for its planned lunar outpost near the Moon's South Pole.
By James Calloway4 min read766 words
In brief
- NASA selected three payload suites through its PRISM program on September 30, 2026, to support the planned Moon Base near the lunar South Pole.
- GIMLI will probe the Marius Hills Pit for an underground lava tube that could serve as natural radiation and thermal shielding for future habitats.
- DISCO will take the first direct ground measurements of ice in lunar micro-cold traps, laying groundwork for using ice as a resource.
NASA has selected three new scientific investigations to fly to the lunar surface, each designed to answer a practical question: is a particular patch of the Moon safe enough, and resource-rich enough, to host humanity's first lunar outpost, Moon Base?
The agency announced the selections on September 30, 2026. All three payload suites were chosen through NASA's PRISM program (Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon) and will reach the Moon aboard commercial landers under the CLPS initiative — Commercial Lunar Payload Services — which contracts American companies to deliver hardware to the lunar surface and orbit.
Together, the payloads will help researchers map the Moon's resources, identify natural underground shelters, and assess environmental hazards. That groundwork, NASA says, underpins a safe and sustained human presence under its Artemis and Moon Base programs.
"NASA Science is building the ultimate interplanetary survival guide to ensure that science goes first to the lunar surface to provide our future astronaut crews with the vital information, resources, and safety precautions needed ahead of time to survive the night on the Moon," said Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA's Science Mission Directorate in Washington. "These PRISM selections will directly help NASA minimize risks to our astronauts while maximizing our agency goals as we set up humanity's first lunar outpost in preparation for sending the first astronauts to Mars."
A weather station for the Moon
The first suite, the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station – South Pole (LEMS-SP), will act as a long-term environmental and hazard monitoring station near the lunar South Pole, the intended region for the future base. It will work autonomously, building a picture of local conditions over time.
Its instruments will track micrometeoroids falling onto the surface and monitor volatiles — materials that easily shift into gas — drifting into the Moon's thin outer layer of gases, known as the exosphere. A short-period seismometer, a device that detects ground shaking, will register moonquakes and other seismic events. Those measurements should give engineers the hazard assessments they need to keep Moon Base hardware physically safe.
Dr. Mehdi Benna of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, leads the investigation.
Looking for a cave beneath Marius Hills
The second suite, the Geophysical Investigation for Mapping Lunar Interior (GIMLI), targets a specific feature: the Marius Hills Pit, a skylight-like opening on the lunar surface. GIMLI will scan beneath the surface to determine whether the pit opens into a large underground lava tube — a tunnel left behind by ancient volcanic flows.
The stakes are architectural. If such voids exist, they could offer future astronauts ready-made protection from the Moon's extreme temperature swings, harmful ionizing radiation, and micrometeoroid bombardment. Confirming them now could shift how NASA plans habitats, replacing purely manufactured shelters with natural ones that provide thermal stability and shielding.
Dr. Nathaniel Putzig of the Planetary Science Institute is the principal investigator.
Finding the ice, measuring the ground
The third suite, the Distribution of Ice and Surface Characteristics Observatory (DISCO), will deliver the first direct, on-the-ground measurements of ice hidden in lunar micro-cold traps — small, permanently shadowed spots where temperatures stay low enough for ice to survive.
DISCO will do double duty. It will pinpoint where ice exists and how much of it is there, laying the groundwork for using it as a resource. At the same time, it will study how the lunar surface behaves in practice: how rocket exhaust disturbs the ground during landings, and how stable the terrain is for rovers and other moving hardware. NASA says this combined information will help it design safe surface operations and develop the technologies needed to turn lunar ice into a usable resource — for drinking, or potentially for fuel — at the future base.
Dr. Ariel Deutsch of NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley leads the investigation.
"Each new PRISM selection strengthens our ability to deliver ambitious, transformative science to the lunar surface," said Brad Bailey, director of the Exploration Science Strategy Integration Office in NASA's Science Mission Directorate. "These investigations exemplify how Artemis and Moon Base are expanding the frontier of lunar exploration, advancing innovative technologies, deepening our understanding of the Moon's environment, and paving the way for future astronaut missions."
The selections reflect NASA's broader push to increase the pace of lunar deliveries, pairing science investigations with technology demonstrations as the agency builds toward a sustained presence on the Moon — and, eventually, crewed missions to Mars. More information about NASA's lunar science program is available at science.nasa.gov/lunar-science.
via science.nasa.gov (Original)