Neutron Measurements on the Lunar Surface (NMLS) is a project to deliver an instrument manifested on Astrobotic Technology’s Peregrine Lander Mission One, to be launched on the new ULA Vulcan Centaur, landing on the Lacus Mortis plateau (44oN, 25oE). Astrobotic was selected as a commercial lander provider to deliver fourteen payloads to the lunar surface under the NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. The NMLS instrument is a re-design of the Fast Neutron Spectrometer (FNS) currently operating on the ISS, enabling lunar surface operation, integration into the Peregrine Lander and measurement of the thermal and epi-thermal neutron count rates on the Moon. The primary science objectives for the NMLS project are to provide ground truth for neutron map data from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter and Lunar Prospector missions as well as to constrain surface composition models. Neutrons are created on the Moon’s surface when galactic cosmic rays interact with the lunar regolith and can provide valuable elemental composition information.
The NMLS flight unit was hand-carry shipped to Astrobotic on 10/25/21 where it was then integrated onto the lander payload deck. The attached image shows the instrument mated to the payload deck (minus the spacecraft) prior to wrapping with multi-layer insulation. Electrical integration to the spacecraft is expected by the end of 2021. The launch date is NET mid-2022. Funding for the NMLS project is provided through the NASA SMD Lunar Discovery and Exploration (LDEP) Program.
