Lunar Microwave Active Passive Spectrometer Instrument
NASA selected the L-MAPS Instrument as one of three instruments to be developed and travel to the Moon. The L-MAPS instrument that will be placed aboard the Lunar Terrain Vehicle for Artemis that will be driven by astronauts and operated autonomously on the Moon.
The L-MAPS instrument will reveal the lunar subsurface structure and temperature profile, measuring the thermal gradient with microwave and assessing the structure of the subsurface with ground penetrating radar. Working in partnership with University of Hawaii, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the German Technical University at Dresden, L-MAPS seeks to discover subsurface lunar ice and map regolith thicknesses for future in-situ resource utilization on the Moon.
The L-MAPS instrument will reveal the lunar subsurface structure and temperature profile, measuring the thermal gradient with microwave and assessing the structure of the subsurface with ground penetrating radar. Working in partnership with University of Hawaii, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and the German Technical University at Dresden, L-MAPS seeks to discover subsurface lunar ice and map regolith thicknesses for future in-situ resource utilization on the Moon.
Illustration showing active and passive detection of structure, ice, and heat beneath the lunar surface.