NASA is soliciting proposals for scientific instruments that might reveal answers about lunar resources that could support the agency's journey to mars. NASA would sponsor the instruments to fly on…

NASA awarded a $39.677 million definitive contract to Arizona State University for development and operations of the ShadowCam lunar science instrument on June 15, 2017, with final completion on March 31, 2026.

The instrument maps reflectance within permanently shadowed regions of the Moon to search for evidence of frost and ice deposits that could support NASA's journey to Mars. ShadowCam's optical camera is derived from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Narrow Angle Camera but is 800 times more sensitive, enabling high-resolution imaging of permanently shadowed craters to detect seasonal changes in volatile distribution. The instrument flies as a NASA-sponsored payload aboard the Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter, a spacecraft designed by the Korea Aerospace Research Institute (KARI) that launched in December 2018 with approximately 33 pounds of NASA payload mass. NASA's Advanced Exploration Systems Division, within the Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate, led the payload solicitation and selection.

Place of performance is Tempe, Arizona. The contract carries firm-fixed-price terms. Subcontractors include Intuitive Machines, LLC (sustained instrument operations), the University of Hawaii, Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory, the University of Arizona, and Malin Space Science Systems, Inc. (camera systems and engineering support).

NASA is soliciting proposals for scientific instruments that might reveal answers about lunar resources that could support the agency's journey to mars. NASA would sponsor the instruments to fly on a lunar orbiter designed by the korea aerospace research institute (kari). The spacecraft, the korea pathfinder lunar orbiter (kplo), is scheduled to launch in december 2018, and is part of kari's korea lunar exploration program, which aims to robotically explore the moon through a series of orbiter and lander missions, starting with the kplo. Kari, headquartered in daejeon, south korea, provided NASA with about 33 pounds (15 kilograms) of payload mass aboard the kplo, which is scheduled to launch into lunar orbit in december 2018. In september 2016, NASA issued a solicitation seeking science instruments that could increase our understanding of the distribution of volatiles, such as water, including the movement of such resources toward permanently shadowed regions and how they become trapped there. Shadowcam will map the reflectance within the permanently shadowed regions to search for evidence of frost or ICE deposits. The instrument's optical camera is based on the lunar reconnaissance orbiter narrow angle camera, but is 800 times more sensitive, allowing IT to obtain high-resolution, high signal-to-noise imaging of the moon's permanently shadowed regions. Shadowcam will observe the psrs monthly to detect seasonal changes and measure the terrain inside the craters, including the distribution of boulders. NASA's advanced exploration systems division (AES) led the payload solicitation and selection for the NASA instrument on kplo. A division of the human exploration and operations mission directorate, AES uses innovative approaches and public-private partnerships to rapidly develop prototype systems, advance key capabilities, and validate operational concepts for future human missions beyond earth orbit. Through this partnership opportunity with kari, AES is addressing key lunar skgs while complementing kari's primary mission objectives and instruments.