Berlin-Built Instrument to Explore Moon's Shadowy Craters
The Lunar Radiometer (LRAD) is integrated into Intuitive Machines' 70-centimetre-high propulsive hopping drone, Grace - © DLR/FU Berlin
A German-built scientific instrument is about to embark on a journey to the Moon's south pole, seeking vital resources that could support future human exploration.
According to information from a press release by the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Lunar RADiometer (LRAD) – developed by DLR and the Freie Universität Berlin – is scheduled to launch aboard Intuitive Machines' IM-2 mission on February 27, 2025, at 00:30 Central European Time.
The LRAD will travel to the Moon attached to "Grace," a 70-centimeter-high propulsive drone designed to hop into permanently shadowed craters near the lunar south pole. These craters, which never receive direct sunlight, can reach temperatures below minus 160°C – cold enough for water ice to remain stable even in the vacuum of space.
"Landing on the surface alone would be a big success, and the autonomous jumps of the hopper would be another milestone," says Heike Rauer, professor at FU Berlin and director of DLR's Institute of Planetary Research.
The mission's primary scientific goal is to detect water ice, which could provide drinking water and be processed into hydrogen and oxygen for both life support and rocket fuel for future lunar missions. This would significantly reduce the need to transport these resources from Earth.
Maximilian Hamm, FUB researcher and project manager for LRAD, expressed excitement about the mission: "LRAD began in 2022, and the exciting years of preparation lie behind us. It's great to be at the forefront of shaping this new chapter in space-mission history."
The IM-2 mission, part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, aims to land near Mons Mouton, approximately 160 km from the Moon's south pole – an area being considered as a landing site for NASA's Artemis human missions.
