To 2028 NASA will send four autonomous drones to the South Pole of the Moon, to prepare the ground for the crews of the Artemis program. Together, the apparatuses will carry forty cameras and scientific instruments, thanks to which the drones will make a detailed map of the area to choose safe landing sites. The mission was named MoonFall.
Each drone will be able to overcome close 50 km, "jumping" from site to site. During the descent, the vehicle will evaluate the terrain and choose the safest point for landing. The main advantage of this approach is the absence of an expensive landing module with its own engines: the drones themselves will be deployed during the descent of the carrier to the lunar surface, which will significantly reduce the cost and risks of the mission. The resulting images will be combined into a detailed map of the surface, which will serve as a reference point for the selection of future landing sites and placement of lunar base equipment.
The Ingenuity helicopter became the technological basis of MoonFall, who committed 72 flights to Mars. Project manager Ray Baker of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) NASA emphasized, that the team adapts the solution, developed on the Red Planet, combining JPL's experience with the capabilities of private companies. Commercial electronics and autonomous navigation, that have already been tested on Mars, now adapt to the extremely complex topography of the polar craters of the Moon.
NASA is set to identify key industrial partners this summer. By the end of 2026 the first tests of navigation and control systems are planned, device assembly — for the late summer of 2027, and delivery to the launch site — at 2028 year.
Source: https://www.space.com