The geometry of the Moon's orbit is such that some areas are in constant shade. These areas are suitable for water ice to exist. The two earlier missions to the moon, Clementine and Lunar Prospector, gave us just indications of the possibility of the existence of water at the Lunar South Pole. So the question of whether or not water ice exists and in what form (if it exists) still remains unanswered. Those are some of the questions LunarSAT is going to try to answer. It has 5 instruments that they will study the moon's magnetosphere, map areas at South Pole and study the plasma and the exosphere of our moon. 

CHRIS (Colour High Resolution Imaging System)

CHRIS consists of two optical systems, a high-resolution camera and a wide-angle camera. The German Aerospace Establishment (DLR) will construct the instrument. The LunarSAT camera system will perform high resolution, multispectral and stereo imaging of the lunar South Pole region and other selected areas as well as monitoring seasonal changes of the illumination in the Polar Regions. With continuous exposure of the camera system, LunarSAT will search for areas that are in constant shade or light. Also, the photos will provide high-resolution mineralogical data. [More Information]

MAG (Magnetometer)

The Danish Technical University (DTU) will provide this instrument. Over the lunar magnetic field there are a lot of questions, such as if the moon has or had an internal magnetic dynamo, the problem of the source of the magnetization of the lunar surface material and the nature of the interaction between the moon and the interplanetary magnetic field in the Earth's magnetotail. MAG will allow the detailed mapping of the lunar surface magnetic properties as well as the study of the Earth's magnetotail, its bow shock and magnetopause.

LENA (Lunar Exosphere Analyzer)

The Space Research center of the Polish Academy of Sciences, Warsaw (SRC) is responsible for the built and the operation of this experiment. LENA is a photometer for Sodium D1 and D2 lines, carrying out 2d and Doppler - shift measurements. With a total mass of 1,5 kgr and a peak consumption of 3 W it will map the Na (Sodium) distribution of the lunar exosphere. By looking close to the horizon during the orbit, it will be able to create a 3d image of the exosphere including spatial and temporal variations.

SLP (Segmented Langmuir Probe)

SLP is the second instrument for measuring magnetic fields. It can measure the electron properties, plasma oscillations up to 100 kHz, probe the UV integrated ionizing flux and measure the effects of micrometeorite impacts on the spacecraft's surface. Most important, it will characterize the electron environment, including number densities and electron temperatures of the Moon's environment.

REX (Radar and Plasma experiment)

The Swedish Institute of Space Physics, Uppsala Division, is performing the experiment. REX will contribute to the study of the lunar plasmasphere and possibly give information regarding the surface and even subsurface materials and structure near the lunar South Pole of the Moon. The plasma dynamics, structure and emissions can readily monitored by REX, both in-situ and remotely. The experiment will provide us interesting data when the Moon crosses Earth's plasma tail. [More Information]