Cislunar Explorers is a pair of spacecraft that will show the viability of
water electrolysis
Electrolysis of water, also known as electrochemical water splitting, is the process of using electricity to decompose water into oxygen and hydrogen gas by electrolysis. Hydrogen gas released in this way can be used as hydrogen fuel, or remi ...
propulsion and interplanetary optical navigation to orbit the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
.
Both spacecraft will launch mated together as two L-shaped 3U CubeSats, which fit together as a 6U
CubeSat
A CubeSat is a class of miniaturized satellite based around a form factor consisting of cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than per unit, and often use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components for their electronics and structure. CubeSats ...
of about 10 cm × 20 cm × 30 cm.
The technology demonstrator spacecraft pair is being developed at
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
in
New York, by a team of researchers, graduate students, and undergraduates.
The spacecraft were originally intended to launch onboard the
Artemis 1 mission into a
heliocentric orbit in
cislunar space
Outer space, commonly shortened to space, is the expanse that exists beyond Earth and its atmosphere and between celestial bodies. Outer space is not completely empty—it is a near-perfect vacuum containing a low density of particles, pred ...
in 2022; delays caused by difficulties during integration led to their removal from the Artemis 1 manifest; a new launch provider has not yet been chosen.
Water powered
The two spacecraft feature an unusual
water electrolysis
Electrolysis of water, also known as electrochemical water splitting, is the process of using electricity to decompose water into oxygen and hydrogen gas by electrolysis. Hydrogen gas released in this way can be used as hydrogen fuel, or remi ...
propulsion system that splits the bond between
hydrogen
Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic ...
and
oxygen
Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as ...
, producing combustible gaseous mixture that can be used as engine propellant.
[ ] This
propulsion system
Propulsion is the generation of force by any combination of pushing or pulling to modify the translational motion of an object, which is typically a rigid body (or an articulated rigid body) but may also concern a fluid. The term is derived from ...
will be used to enter lunar orbit. The mission designers comment that if this water-based propulsion technology is successful, it may enable ''
in situ
''In situ'' (; often not italicized in English) is a Latin phrase that translates literally to "on site" or "in position." It can mean "locally", "on site", "on the premises", or "in place" to describe where an event takes place and is used in ...
'' resources for refueling landers for commercial or science purposes.
Such a spacecraft could refuel at space-bound water sources, like asteroids, instead of bringing all the needed fuel along with it from
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...
.
Optical navigation
Since the purpose of the ''Cislunar Explorers'' is to test a novel propulsion system, they will simply be injected in "any lunar orbit" and maintain it for as long as possible. ''Cislunar Explorers'' will navigate completely autonomously, with minimal control from Earth. ''Cislunar Explorers'' will each use commercial cameras that enable them to view the Earth, the Moon, and the
Sun
The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...
. By computing the sizes of each of these objects and their locations relative to one another, the two spacecraft will deduce their locations.
See also
;The 10
CubeSat
A CubeSat is a class of miniaturized satellite based around a form factor consisting of cubes. CubeSats have a mass of no more than per unit, and often use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components for their electronics and structure. CubeSats ...
s flying in the
Artemis 1 mission:
*
Near-Earth Asteroid Scout
The Near-Earth Asteroid Scout (NEA Scout) was a mission by NASA to develop a controllable low-cost CubeSat solar sail spacecraft capable of encountering near-Earth asteroids (NEA). NEA Scout was one of ten CubeSats launched into a heliocentri ...
by
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA ) is an independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the US federal government responsible for the civil List of government space agencies, space program ...
is a
solar sail spacecraft that will encounter a
near-Earth asteroid
*
BioSentinel
BioSentinel is a lowcost CubeSat spacecraft on a astrobiology mission that will use budding yeast to detect, measure, and compare the impact of deep space radiation on DNA repair over long time beyond low Earth orbit.
Selected in 2013 for a ...
is an
astrobiology mission
*
LunIR
LunIR is a nanosatellite spacecraft launched to the Moon collecting surface spectroscopy and thermography. It was launched as a secondary payload on the Artemis 1 mission on 16 November 2022.
Mission
LunIR is a technology demonstration missi ...
by
Lockheed Martin Space
Lockheed Martin Space is one of the four major business divisions of Lockheed Martin. It has its headquarters in Littleton, Colorado, with additional sites in Valley Forge, Pennsylvania; Sunnyvale, California; Santa Cruz, California; Huntsvill ...
*
Lunar IceCube
Lunar IceCube is a NASA nanosatellite orbiter mission to prospect, locate, and estimate amount and composition of water ice deposits on the Moon for future exploitation by robots or humans. It was launched as a secondary payload mission on A ...
, by the
Morehead State University
Morehead State University (MSU) is a public university in Morehead, Kentucky. The university began as Morehead Normal School, which opened its doors in 1887. The Craft Academy for Excellence in Science and Mathematics, a two-year residential ...
*
CubeSat for Solar Particles
CubeSat for Solar Particles (CuSP) was a low-cost 6U CubeSat to orbit the Sun to study the dynamic Solar energetic particles, particles and Sun#Magnetic field, magnetic fields. The principal investigator for CuSP is Mihir Desai, at the Southwe ...
(CuSP)
*
Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper
Lunar Polar Hydrogen Mapper, or LunaH-Map, is one of 10 CubeSats launched with Artemis 1 on 16 November 2022. Along with Lunar IceCube and LunIR, LunaH-Map will help investigate the possible presence of water-ice on the Moon. Arizona State ...
(LunaH-Map), designed by the
Arizona State University
*
EQUULEUS
Equuleus ( ) is a constellation of stars that are visible in the night sky. Its name is Latin for "little horse", a foal. Located just north of the celestial equator, it was one of the 48 constellations listed by the 2nd century astronomer Ptolem ...
, submitted by
JAXA and the
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as or UTokyo, is a public research university located in Bunkyō, Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1877, the university was the first Imperial University and is currently a Top Type university of the Top Global University Project b ...
*
OMOTENASHI
is a Japanese expression that roughly describes concepts of hospitality as well as mindfulness. The term developed particularly around the roles of the host at a Japanese tea ceremony.
The term gained increased awareness internationally throu ...
, submitted by JAXA, was a lunar lander (mission failure)
*
ArgoMoon
''ArgoMoon'' is a CubeSat that was launched into a heliocentric orbit on Artemis 1, the maiden flight of the Space Launch System, on 16 November 2022 at 06:47:44 UTC. The objective of the ArgoMoon spacecraft is to take detailed images of the ...
, designed by
Argotec
Argotec is an aerospace engineering company based in Turin whose research, innovation and product development activities use engineering and computing for space applications and renewable energy systems. Particular attention is also given to the ...
and coordinated by
Italian Space Agency
The Italian Space Agency ( it, Agenzia Spaziale Italiana; ASI) is a government agency established in 1988 to fund, regulate and coordinate space exploration activities in Italy. The agency cooperates with numerous national and international enti ...
(ASI)
*
Team Miles, by Fluid and Reason LLC,
Tampa, Florida
Tampa () is a city on the Gulf Coast of the United States, Gulf Coast of the U.S. state of Florida. The city's borders include the north shore of Tampa Bay and the east shore of Old Tampa Bay. Tampa is the largest city in the Tampa Bay area and ...
;The 3 CubeSat missions removed from Artemis 1:
*
Lunar Flashlight will map exposed water ice on the
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...
* Cislunar Explorers,
Cornell University
Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to tea ...
,
Ithaca, New York
Ithaca is a city in the Finger Lakes region of New York, United States. Situated on the southern shore of Cayuga Lake, Ithaca is the seat of Tompkins County and the largest community in the Ithaca metropolitan statistical area. It is named ...
*
Earth Escape Explorer (CU-E
3),
University of Colorado Boulder
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sy ...
;Other water-based propelled spacecraft
*
Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator
*
World Is Not Enough (spacecraft propulsion)
References
{{Future spaceflights
CubeSats
Missions to the Moon
Proposed NASA space probes
2023 in spaceflight
2023 in the United States
Secondary payloads