Prospect drill to search for water ice at lunar south pole
- ESA's Prospect mission, built by Leonardo, will reach the lunar south pole in 2027.
- Its 1-metre drill will search for water ice below the surface near permanently shadowed craters.
- The drill will transfer samples to a miniaturised laboratory to analyse undisturbed lunar soil.
- Prospect is linked to the IM-4 mission and will fly on Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander under NASA's CLPS initiative.
- The mission is focused on detecting water ice, not mining the Moon.
What happened
Prospect's drill status is set to look for water ice below the Moon's surface.
The ESA mission will reach the lunar surface in 2027.
What we know
Prospect is an ESA mission built by Leonardo. Its payload includes a drill and a science lab, and the landing site is the lunar south pole.
The mission will work close to permanently shadowed craters and seek to determine whether water is present by the Moon's coldest craters. It is not about mining the Moon.
The drill's status is set to look for water ice below the lunar surface. It is specified as 1 metre and was deployed from a panel resembling its intended flight panel.
It will scan for signs of water ice, extract a sample and transfer that sample to a miniaturised laboratory.
The mission is designed to provide access to soil that has not been disturbed and to keep samples pristine for accurate scientific analysis.
Prospect is linked to the IM-4 mission and will fly on Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lunar lander under NASA's CLPS initiative.
Why it matters
The mission will test whether water is present by the Moon's coldest craters while providing access to untouched soil and keeping samples pristine for accurate scientific analysis.
For lunar industry observers, the mission connects ESA, Leonardo, Intuitive Machines and NASA's CLPS initiative.
What's next
Prospect will reach the lunar surface in 2027.
Sources
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