LunaH-Map is a 6U CubeSat, which will map the location and quantity of hydrogen in permanently shadowed regions of the lunar south pole. In doing so, the spacecraft will help scientists and engineers quantify the amount of water available in this region, which can then be used to help humanity live on the moon, sustainably. Measurements will be collected using a neutron spectrometer, which was developed with the resolution and volume requirements necessary for this mission.

In this episode, I chat with Dr. Craig Hardgrove, the Principal Investigator of LunaH-Map and Assistant Professor at ASU, about how the mission and spacecraft evolved over time, challenges during development, and what’s next for the team now that the spacecraft has been successfully integrated into NASA’s SLS-1 rocket and awaits launch later this fall.

For more information on LunaH-Map, please visit the project website:

https://lunahmap.asu.edu/

Timestamps:

0:00 - Episode Intro

2:55 - Getting a spacecraft through TSA

9:28 - Integration into SLS-1

22:42 - Work following integration into SLS-1 (operations prep / trajectory design)

31:36 - Defining Scope as a secondary payload (of analyses, mission parameters)

38:44 - Defining the LunaH-Map Mission

48:56 - How the payload, a neutron spectrometer, works

57:36 - Payload calibration

1:08:15 - Key lessons learned from LunaH-Map and the importance of CubeSats/SmallSats

1:34:20 - Episode outro