LunIR

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LunIR, short for Lunar InfraRed Imaging (formerly SkyFire), is a small NASA technology demonstration spacecraft built by Lockheed Martin Space. It is a 6U CubeSat designed to fly by the Moon and collect surface spectroscopy and thermal data to help map and study the lunar surface and choose landing sites.

Launched as a secondary payload on NASA’s Artemis I mission, LunIR lifted off on November 16, 2022. The spacecraft weighs about 14 kilograms (31 pounds) and measures roughly 10 by 20 by 30 centimeters, with two deployable solar panels powering it. It will communicate with Earth through ground stations operated by Kongsberg Satellite Services, using 13-meter antennas located in Punta Arenas (Chile), Svalbard (Norway), and the Troll station in Antarctica.

As part of NASA’s NextSTEP program, LunIR is a low-cost demonstration mission using a 6U CubeSat platform developed by Tyvak Nano-Satellite Systems and funded for development by NASA. One goal is to test electrospray propulsion to slowly adjust its orbit for additional science. LunIR’s mission duration is about three years and two months (in progress).