NASA’s New Lunar Mission: Ice-mining Experiment to be Launched in 2022

Nasa new lunar mission

NASA has announced that its ice-mining mission, scheduled to fly in 2022, will land on a ridge near Shackleton crater on the lunar South Pole, spot engineers and scientists have been evaluating for months. This region, known as the “Shackleton connecting ridge,” may hold ice beneath the surface, according to NASA data from spacecraft orbiting the Moon.

The region receives enough sunshine to power a lander for a 10-day mission, as well as a clear line of sight to Earth for constant communications. It’s also next to a little crater, which is perfect for a robotic outing. Experts from NASA, Arizona State University, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab, Nokia, and Intuitive Machines used lunar remote sensing data to generate “ice-mining” maps of the lunar surface to choose the ultimate landing site.

The Polar Resources Ice-Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) will be linked to a robotic lander and will settle on the lunar surface. PRIME-1 is made up of a drill and a mass spectrometer, as well as a 4G/LTE communications network built by Nokia of America Corporation and Micro-Nova, an Intuitive Machines deployable hopper robot.

After landing, the PRIME-1 drill will attempt to dig up to three feet deep, retrieve lunar soil (called regolith), and deposit it on the surface for water analysis using The Regolith Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT) instrument. The MSolo (Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations) will monitor volatile gases that are easily ejected from TRIDENT-excavated material.

The first demonstration of locating and harvesting resources on the Moon will be PRIME-1. These technologies must be developed in order to create a stable, long-term presence in deep space, especially on the Moon as part of NASA’s Artemis missions.

While PRIME-1 investigates the resources beneath the moon’s surface, Nokia will put its space-hardened 4G/LTE network to the test. Lunar Outpost’s small rover will travel more than a mile from the Nova-C lander to test Nokia’s wireless network at various distances. The lender will send data back to Earth while the rover communicates with a base station on Nova-C.

This experiment could pave the way for a commercial 4G/LTE system on the lunar surface for mission-critical communications. According to NASA, this includes communications, as well as high-definition video transmission from astronauts to base stations, vehicles to base stations, and more.

Niki Werkheiser, director of technology maturation for NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD) at NASA Headquarters in Washington, said, “These early technology demonstrations employ innovative partnerships to provide valuable information about operating on and exploring the lunar surface.”

“The data will be used to influence future designs for in-situ resource utilization, mobility, communication, power, and dust mitigation capabilities,” Werkheiser said.

Apart from this, you can also read EntertainmentTech, and Health-related articles here: Dave Portnoy net worthLionel Messi net worthKeanu Reeves net worthThe Equalizer 3The 100 Season 8Gina Carano net worthBruno Mars net worthKissAnimeJim Carrey net worthPDF DriveHow to delete Reddit AccountSweet Home Season 2How much are pearls worthRainbow KissMovieRulzSex Education season 3NFL Live StreamYoutbeBailey Sarian Net WorthBollyshareAfdahMoviezwapY8JalshamoviezProject Free TVKissasianHoliday SeasonSears Credit CardGoDaddy EmailMangagoJio RockersM4uHDHip dipsM4ufreeNBAstreams XYZCCleaner Browser reviewAvocado CaloriesBear Grylls net worthHighest Paid CEOThe 100 season 8Sundar Pichai net worthGrimes net worthF95ZoneSherlock Season 5Homeland Season 9.


Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Related Articles

Top Trending

The Dawn of the New Nuclear Era Analyzing the US Subcommittee Hearings on Sustainable Energy
The Dawn of the New Nuclear Era: Analyzing the US Subcommittee Hearings on Sustainable Energy
Solid-State EV Battery Architecture
Beyond Lithium: The 2026 Breakthroughs in Solid-State EV Battery Architecture
ROI Benchmarking Shift
The 2026 "ROI Benchmarking" Shift: Why SaaS Vendors Face Rapid Consolidation This Quarter
AI Integrated Labs
Beyond The Lab Report: What AI-Integrated Labs Mean For Clinical Medicine In 2026
Agentic AI in Banking
Agentic AI in Banking: Navigating the New Frontier of Real-Time Fraud Prevention

LIFESTYLE

Benefits of Living in an Eco-Friendly Community featured image
Go Green Together: 12 Benefits of Living in an Eco-Friendly Community!
Happy new year 2026 global celebration
Happy New Year 2026: Celebrate Around the World With Global Traditions
dubai beach day itinerary
From Sunrise Yoga to Sunset Cocktails: The Perfect Beach Day Itinerary – Your Step-by-Step Guide to a Day by the Water
Ford F-150 Vs Ram 1500 Vs Chevy Silverado
The "Big 3" Battle: 10 Key Differences Between the Ford F-150, Ram 1500, and Chevy Silverado
Zytescintizivad Spread Taking Over Modern Kitchens
Zytescintizivad Spread: A New Superfood Taking Over Modern Kitchens

Entertainment

Stranger Things Finale Crashes Netflix
Stranger Things Finale Draws 137M Views, Crashes Netflix
Demon Slayer Infinity Castle Part 2 release date
Demon Slayer Infinity Castle Part 2 Release Date: Crunchyroll Denies Sequel Timing Rumors
BTS New Album 20 March 2026
BTS to Release New Album March 20, 2026
Dhurandhar box office collection
Dhurandhar Crosses Rs 728 Crore, Becomes Highest-Grossing Bollywood Film
Most Anticipated Bollywood Films of 2026
Upcoming Bollywood Movies 2026: The Ultimate Release Calendar & Most Anticipated Films

GAMING

High-performance gaming setup with clear monitor display and low-latency peripherals. n Improve Your Gaming Performance Instantly
Improve Your Gaming Performance Instantly: 10 Fast Fixes That Actually Work
Learning Games for Toddlers
Learning Games For Toddlers: Top 10 Ad-Free Educational Games For 2026
Gamification In Education
Screen Time That Counts: Why Gamification Is the Future of Learning
10 Ways 5G Will Transform Mobile Gaming and Streaming
10 Ways 5G Will Transform Mobile Gaming and Streaming
Why You Need Game Development
Why You Need Game Development?

BUSINESS

Embedded Finance 2.0
Embedded Finance 2.0: Moving Invisible Transactions into the Global Education Sector
HBM4 Supercycle
The Great Silicon Squeeze: How the HBM4 "Supercycle" is Cannibalizing the Chip Market
South Asia IT Strategy 2026: From Corridor to Archipelago
South Asia’s Silicon Corridor: How Bangladesh & India are Redefining Regionalized IT?
Featured Image of Modernize Your SME
Digital Business Blueprint 2026, SME Modernization, Digital Transformation for SMEs
Maduro Nike Dictator Drip
Beyond the Headlines: What Maduro’s "Dictator Drip" Means for Nike and the Future of Unintentional Branding

TECHNOLOGY

Solid-State EV Battery Architecture
Beyond Lithium: The 2026 Breakthroughs in Solid-State EV Battery Architecture
AI Integrated Labs
Beyond The Lab Report: What AI-Integrated Labs Mean For Clinical Medicine In 2026
Agentic AI in Banking
Agentic AI in Banking: Navigating the New Frontier of Real-Time Fraud Prevention
Agentic AI in Tax Workflows
Agentic AI in Tax Workflows: Moving from Practical Pilots to Enterprise-Wide Deployment
SaaS demand generation ROI
The SaaS "Accountability" Crisis: Why 2026 Demand Generation Demands ROI Proof

HEALTH

Digital Detox for Kids
Digital Detox for Kids: Balancing Online Play With Outdoor Fun [2026 Guide]
Worlds Heaviest Man Dies
Former World's Heaviest Man Dies at 41: 1,322-Pound Weight Led to Fatal Kidney Infection
Biomimetic Brain Model Reveals Error-Predicting Neurons
Biomimetic Brain Model Reveals Error-Predicting Neurons
Long COVID Neurological Symptoms May Affect Millions
Long COVID Neurological Symptoms May Affect Millions
nipah vaccine human trial
First Nipah Vaccine Passes Human Trial, Shows Promise