Lunar mission to test advanced navigation, search for water ice in low orbits

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has announced a solicitation for proposals to design a small lunar orbiter to test operations in very low orbits while prospecting for water ice on the moon.

The mission, called Lunar Assay via Small Satellite Orbiter (LASSO), aims to test key navigation and propulsion technologies needed for spacecraft to operate at altitudes as low as 10 kilometers above the lunar surface, Caliber.Az reports via foreign media.

According to DARPA’s solicitation, the agency is pursuing two primary goals with LASSO. The first is to test new technologies for operating in low orbits, where irregularities in the moon’s gravitational field pose challenges to maintaining a stable orbit. “Sustained and advanced maneuverability for spacecraft is key to enabling further improvements of SSA in cislunar space,” the solicitation states, referencing the Space Force's interest in cislunar space situational awareness (SSA).

The second focus of the mission is to map the lunar surface for concentrations of water ice that are large enough to justify retrieval efforts. The goal is to identify regions where subsurface water ice concentrations exceed 5 per cent. “LASSO will benefit DARPA, and eventually [the US Space Force], by establishing new technologies that can offer increased maneuverability and SSA while also supporting commercial space capabilities and NASA missions by identifying the existence of proven reserves of water,” the agency concludes.

DARPA is inviting six-page concept proposals, followed by oral presentations. Successful concepts will move on to Phase 1A, a six-month design study, followed by Phase 1B, which will develop the design through a critical review. A single provider will be selected for Phase 2 to build the spacecraft, which must be able to fit on the ESPA adapter used for secondary payloads.

The mission is part of DARPA’s broader interest in lunar exploration, following the 2023 announcement of the 10-Year Lunar Architecture project (LunA-10) to develop necessary lunar infrastructure, including power and transportation systems.

The LASSO mission builds on this effort and aligns with DARPA’s commitment to advancing lunar exploration technologies.

By Vafa Guliyeva