Stennis Space Center; Lunar Eclipse over A-1 test stand
Multiple exposure of a test with a prototype Lunar Excursion Module. This test was one of many conducted at Langley of the structural dynamics of lunar landing.
S70-56287 (14 Dec. 1970) --- Astronaut Alan B. Shepard Jr., commander of the Apollo 14 lunar landing mission, stands near a Lunar Landing Training Vehicle (LLTV) prior to a test flight at Ellington Air Force Base, Houston, on Dec. 14, 1970. Shepard will be at the controls of the Apollo 14 Lunar Module (LM) when it lands on the moon in the highlands near Fra Mauro. Astronaut Stuart A. Roosa, command module pilot, will remain with the Command and Service Modules (CSM) in lunar orbit while astronauts Shepard and Edgar D. Mitchell, lunar module pilot, descend in the LM to explore the moon.
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir grabs a lunar geology tool from a tool rack on Lunar Outpost’s Eagle lunar terrain vehicle during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Image Credit: NASA/James Blair
NASA astronaut Joe Acaba raises the solar array panel on Lunar Outpost’s Eagle lunar terrain vehicle during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Image Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz
NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins picks up a lunar geology tool from a stowage drawer on Astrolab’s FLEX lunar terrain vehicle during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Image Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz
BLDG 4605, LUNAR ENVIRONMENTS TEST SYSTEM VACUUM CHAMBER, EAST SIDE
BLDG 4605, LUNAR ENVIRONMENTS TEST SYSTEM VACUUM CHAMBER, WEST SIDE
BLDG 4605, LUNAR ENVIRONMENTS TEST SYSTEM. JASON VAUGHN
NASA astronauts Raja Chari (left) and Randy Bresnik (right) sit inside Lunar Outpost’s Eagle lunar terrain vehicle evaluating the seat configuration during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Image Credit: NASA/David DeHoyos
Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. A simulated environment that contributed in a significant way to the success of Apollo project was the Lunar Landing Research Facility, an imposing 250 foot high, 400 foot long gantry structure that became operational in 1965. Published in the book "Space Flight Revolution" NASA SP-4308 pg. 376
Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. A simulated environment that contributed in a significant way to the success of Apollo project was the Lunar Landing Research Facility, an imposing 250 foot high, 400 foot long gantry structure that became operational in 1965. Published in the book "Space Flight Revolution" NASA SP-4308 pg. 376
Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. A simulated environment that contributed in a significant way to the success of Apollo project was the Lunar Landing Research Facility, an imposing 250 foot high, 400 foot long gantry structure that became operational in 1965. Published in the book "Space Flight Revolution" NASA SP-4308 pg. 376
Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. A simulated environment that contributed in a significant way to the success of Apollo project was the Lunar Landing Research Facility, an imposing 250 foot high, 400 foot long gantry structure that became operational in 1965. Published in the book "Space Flight Revolution" NASA SP-4308 pg. 376
Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. A simulated environment that contributed in a significant way to the success of Apollo project was the Lunar Landing Research Facility, an imposing 250 foot high, 400 foot long gantry structure that became operational in 1965. Published in the book "Space Flight Revolution" NASA SP-4308 pg. 376
Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. A simulated environment that contributed in a significant way to the success of Apollo project was the Lunar Landing Research Facility, an imposing 250 foot high, 400 foot long gantry structure that became operational in 1965. Published in the book "Space Flight Revolution" NASA SP-4308 pg. 376
Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. A simulated environment that contributed in a significant way to the success of Apollo project was the Lunar Landing Research Facility, an imposing 250 foot high, 400 foot long gantry structure that became operational in 1965. Published in the book "Space Flight Revolution" NASA SP-4308 pg. 376
Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. A simulated environment that contributed in a significant way to the success of Apollo project was the Lunar Landing Research Facility, an imposing 250 foot high, 400 foot long gantry structure that became operational in 1965. Published in the book "Space Flight Revolution" NASA SP-4308 pg. 376
Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. A simulated environment that contributed in a significant way to the success of Apollo project was the Lunar Landing Research Facility, an imposing 250 foot high, 400 foot long gantry structure that became operational in 1965. Published in the book "Space Flight Revolution" NASA SP-4308 pg. 376
Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. A simulated environment that contributed in a significant way to the success of Apollo project was the Lunar Landing Research Facility, an imposing 250 foot high, 400 foot long gantry structure that became operational in 1965. Published in the book "Space Flight Revolution" NASA SP-4308 pg. 376
Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. A simulated environment that contributed in a significant way to the success of Apollo project was the Lunar Landing Research Facility, an imposing 250 foot high, 400 foot long gantry structure that became operational in 1965. Published in the book "Space Flight Revolution" NASA SP-4308 pg. 376
Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. A simulated environment that contributed in a significant way to the success of Apollo project was the Lunar Landing Research Facility, an imposing 250 foot high, 400 foot long gantry structure that became operational in 1965. Published in the book "Space Flight Revolution" NASA SP-4308 pg. 376
Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. A simulated environment that contributed in a significant way to the success of Apollo project was the Lunar Landing Research Facility, an imposing 250 foot high, 400 foot long gantry structure that became operational in 1965. Published in the book "Space Flight Revolution" NASA SP-4308 pg. 376
Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. A simulated environment that contributed in a significant way to the success of Apollo project was the Lunar Landing Research Facility, an imposing 250 foot high, 400 foot long gantry structure that became operational in 1965. Published in the book "Space Flight Revolution" NASA SP-4308 pg. 376
Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. Lunar Landing Testing at NASA Langley. A simulated environment that contributed in a significant way to the success of Apollo project was the Lunar Landing Research Facility, an imposing 250 foot high, 400 foot long gantry structure that became operational in 1965. Published in the book "Space Flight Revolution" NASA SP-4308 pg. 376
NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins stores science payloads on Astrolab’s FLEX lunar terrain vehicle during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Image Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz
NASA astronaut Joe Acaba prepares to climb on top of Intuitive Machines’ Moon RACER lunar terrain vehicle to get to a science payload during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Image Credit: NASA/Josh Valcarcel
NASA astronaut Jessica Meir puts a science sample inside of a storage box on Intuitive Machines’ Moon RACER lunar terrain vehicle during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Image Credit: NASA/James Blair
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jenni Gibbons gets suited up in Axiom Space’s lunar spacesuit at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston. During a recent test series, NASA engineers and crewmembers wore the lunar spacesuit under water and conducted numerous tasks during simulated lunar operations to test its mobility and functionality and ensure the spacesuit is prepped and ready for Artemis training.
NASA astronaut Frank Rubio (left) and NASA spacesuit engineer Zach Tejral (right) sit inside Astrolab’s FLEX lunar terrain vehicle evaluating the display interfaces during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Image Credit: NASA/James Blair
NASA engineer Dave Coan (left) and NASA astronaut Jessica Watkins (right) sit inside Intuitive Machines’ Moon RACER lunar terrain vehicle evaluating the crew compartment during testing at NASA’s Johnson Space Center. Image Credit: NASA/James Blair
Lunar landing test of LEM at LLRF Lunar Landing Research Facility: A NASA Langley research pilot flies a lunar lander in a test conducted in the Lunar Landing Research Facility.
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jenni Gibbons practices simulated lunar tasks under water while wearing Axiom Space’s lunar spacesuit at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston. During a recent test series, NASA engineers and crewmembers wore the lunar spacesuit under water and conducted numerous tasks during simulated lunar operations to test its mobility and functionality and ensure the spacesuit is prepped and ready for Artemis training.
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jenni Gibbons practices simulated lunar tasks under water while wearing Axiom Space’s lunar spacesuit at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston. During a recent test series, NASA engineers and crewmembers wore the lunar spacesuit under water and conducted numerous tasks during simulated lunar operations to test its mobility and functionality and ensure the spacesuit is prepped and ready for Artemis training.
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jenni Gibbons practices simulated lunar tasks under water while wearing Axiom Space’s lunar spacesuit at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston. During a recent test series, NASA engineers and crewmembers wore the lunar spacesuit under water and conducted numerous tasks during simulated lunar operations to test its mobility and functionality and ensure the spacesuit is prepped and ready for Artemis training.
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jenni Gibbons practices simulated lunar tasks under water while wearing Axiom Space’s lunar spacesuit at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston. During a recent test series, NASA engineers and crewmembers wore the lunar spacesuit under water and conducted numerous tasks during simulated lunar operations to test its mobility and functionality and ensure the spacesuit is prepped and ready for Artemis training.
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jenni Gibbons practices simulated lunar tasks under water while wearing Axiom Space’s lunar spacesuit at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston. During a recent test series, NASA engineers and crewmembers wore the lunar spacesuit under water and conducted numerous tasks during simulated lunar operations to test its mobility and functionality and ensure the spacesuit is prepped and ready for Artemis training.
A test engineer drives a Mobility Test Article (MTA) during a test of a Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) concept through the mountains of Arizona. The data provided by the MTA helped in designing the LRV, developed under the direction of MSFC. The LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
Canadian Space Agency astronaut Jenni Gibbons gets suited up in Axiom Space’s lunar spacesuit at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston. During a recent test series, NASA engineers and crewmembers wore the lunar spacesuit under water and conducted numerous tasks during simulated lunar operations to test its mobility and functionality and ensure the spacesuit is prepped and ready for Artemis training.
Artist’s concept of a Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) Mobility Test Article (MTA) on the Lunar surface. The data provided by the MTA helped in designing the LRV, developed under the direction of MSFC. The LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
In this June 1966 photograph, Marshall Space Flight Center Director Dr. Wernher von Braun test-drives the Mobility Test Article (MTA), a developmental vehicle built by the Bendix Corporation to test lunar mobility vehicle concepts. The data provided by the MTA helped in designing the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), developed under the direction of the MSFC. The LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions. The LRVs were deployed during the last three Apollo missions; Apollo 15, Apollo 16, and Apollo 17.
A test engineer drove a Mobility Test Article (MTA) of a possible future Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) over rocks during tests in Arizona. The machine was built by General Motors for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). Under the direction of MSFC, the LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
This photograph was taken during the testing of the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) at the Johnson Space Center. Developed by the MSFC, the LRV was the lightweight electric car designed to increase the range of mobility and productivity of astronauts on the lunar surface. It was used on the last three Apollo missions; Apollo 15, Apollo 16, and Apollo 17.
A concept of a possible Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) built for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). This Mobility Test Article (MTA) is one of many that provided data contributing to the design of the LRV, developed under the direction of MSFC. The LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
NASA's Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft sits in a clean room in August 2024 after undergoing environmental testing at Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado. Now that those tests are done, the orbiter and its science instruments will go through flight system software tests that simulate key aspects of launch, maneuvers, and the science mission while in orbit around the Moon. This photo shows Lunar Trailblazer with a solar array deployed. The large silver grate attached to the spacecraft is the radiator for the High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM³) instrument. HVM³ is one of two instruments that will be used by the mission to detect and map water on the Moon's surface to determine its abundance, location, form, and how it changes over time. This data will be key to our understanding of this crucial resource on the Moon for future exploration. The spacecraft is just 440 pounds (200 kilograms) and 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) wide with its solar panels fully deployed. The project is led by Principal Investigator Bethany Ehlmann of Caltech and managed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, which is also providing systems engineering, navigation, and mission assurance. Caltech manages JPL for the agency. Lunar Trailblazer is part of NASA's Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program, which provides opportunities for low-cost, high-risk science missions that are responsive to requirements for flexibility. These lower-cost missions serve as an ideal platform for technical and architecture innovation, contributing to NASA's science research and technology development objectives. SIMPLEx mission investigations are managed by the Planetary Missions Program Office at NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, as part of the Discovery Program at NASA Headquarters in Washington. IPAC leads mission operations, including planning, scheduling, and sequencing all science and spacecraft activities. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26390
This Mobility Test Article (MTA) was a concept of a possible dual mode Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) built by the Grumman Industries for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). The data provided by the MTA helped in designing the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), developed under the direction of MSFC. The LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
An engineer demonstrates a Mobility Test Article (MTA) at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). This unit, weighing 1/6th as much as an actual vehicle, was built by the Bendix Corporation and was one of the concepts of a possible Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). The data provided by the MTA helped in designing the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), developed under the direction of MSFC. The LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
An engineer demonstrates a Mobility Test Article (MTA) at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) as he goes down a slope onto soft earth. This unit, weighing 1/6th as much as an actual vehicle, was built by the Bendix Corporation and was one of the concepts of a possible Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). The data provided by the MTA helped in designing the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), developed under the direction of MSFC. The LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
An engineer demonstrates a Mobility Test Article (MTA) at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). This unit, weighing 1/6th as much as an actual vehicle, was built by the Bendix Corporation and was one of the concepts of a possible Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). The data provided by the MTA helped in designing the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), developed under the direction of MSFC. The LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
Newsmen watch a test engineer drive a Mobility Test Article (MTA) demonstrated at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). This unit, built by the Bendix Corporation, was one of the concepts of a possible Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). The data provided by the MTA helped in designing the LRV, developed under the direction of MSFC. The LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
A concept of a possible Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) built by the Grumman Industries for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), this Mobility Test Article (MTA) is undergoing a full fledged test, complete with space suit attire. The data provided by the MTA helped in designing the LRV, developed under the direction of MSFC. The LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
NASA astronaut Loral O’Hara kneels to pick up a rock while testing the mobility of Axiom Space’s lunar spacesuit. NASA and Axiom Space teams held the first dual spacesuit run at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston on September 24, 2025 with NASA Astronauts Stan Love and Loral O’Hara wearing Axiom Space’s lunar spacesuit, called the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU). This was the final integration test in the pool, proving both the spacesuit and facility are prepped and ready for Artemis training.
In this June, 1966 photograph, Marshall Space Flight Center Director, Dr. Wernher von Braun test drives the Mobility Test Article (MTA), a developmental vehicle built by the Bendix Corporation to test lunar mobility concepts. The data provided by the MTA helped in designing the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), developed under the direction of the Marshall Space Flight Center. The LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range during lunar exploration missions and served its purpose during the last three Apollo lunar missions in 1971 and 1972.
An engineer demonstrates a Mobility Test Article (MTA) at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). This unit, weighing 1/6th as much as an actual vehicle, was built by the Bendix Corporation and was one of the concepts of a possible Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). The data provided by the MTA helped in designing the LRV, developed under the direction of MSFC. The LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
This Mobility Test Article (MTA), built by the Bendix Corporation for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), was driven over rocks in Arizona. The data provided by the MTA helped in designing the Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV), developed under the direction of the MSFC. The LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
A concept of a possible Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) built by the Bendix Corporation for NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). This Mobility Test Article (MTA) is being inspected by a Bendix technician. The data provided by the MTA helped in designing the LRV, developed under the direction of MSFC. The LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
Newsmen listen as an engineer explains operations and capabilities of a Mobility Test Article (MTA) demonstrated at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC). This unit, built by the Bendix Corporation, was one of the concepts of a possible Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). The data provided by the MTA helped in designing the LRV, developed under the direction of MSFC. The LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
An engineer demonstrates a Mobility Test Article (MTA) at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC) as he crosses a soft clay strip onto rocky ground. This unit, weighing 1/6th as much as an actual vehicle, was built by the Bendix Corporation and was one of the concepts of a possible Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV). The data provided by the MTA helped in designing the LRV, developed under the direction of MSFC. The LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
Artist’s manned and unmanned concepts of a Lunar Roving Vehicle (LRV) Mobility Test Article (MTA) on the Lunar surface. The data provided by the MTA helped in designing the LRV, developed under the direction of MSFC. The LRV was designed to allow Apollo astronauts a greater range of mobility during lunar exploration missions.
Test subject wears Apollo overgarment designed specially for use by astronauts on lunar surface missions. The overgarment is worn over the Apollo space suit.
The 3D-printed titanium scoop of the Cold Operable Lunar Deployable Arm (COLDArm) robotic arm system is poised above a test bed filled with material to simulate lunar regolith (broken rocks and dust) at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. COLDArm can function in temperatures as cold as minus 280 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 173 degrees Celsius). COLDArm is designed to go on a Moon lander and operate during lunar night, a period that lasts about 14 Earth days. Frigid temperatures during lunar night would stymie current spacecraft, which must rely on energy-consuming heaters to stay warm. To operate in the cold, the 6-foot-6-inch (2-meter) arm combines several key new technologies: gears made of bulk metallic glass that require no lubrication or heating, cold motor controllers that don't need to be kept warm in an electronics box near the core of the spacecraft, and a cryogenic six-axis force torque sensor that lets the arm "feel" what it's doing and make adjustments. A variety of attachments and small instruments could go on the end of the arm, including the scoop, which could be used for collecting samples from a planet's surface. Like the arm on NASA's InSight Mars lander, COLDArm could deploy science instruments to the surface. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25317
NASA astronauts Loral O’Hara (left) and Stan Love (right) pose for a photo during the first dual spacesuit run at NASA’s Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory while wearing Axiom Space’s lunar spacesuits. NASA and Axiom Space teams held the first dual spacesuit run at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston on September 24, 2025 with NASA Astronauts Stan Love and Loral O’Hara wearing Axiom Space’s lunar spacesuit, called the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU). This was the final integration test in the pool, proving both the spacesuit and facility are prepped and ready for Artemis training.
Preparations are underway to conduct a vibration test on the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) for NASA’s VIPER mission inside a laboratory in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 8, 2022. Exposing the instrument to vibration environments that it might see during launch helps engineers to find issues prior to liftoff. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo will be part of NASA’s first Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) mission where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions.
Preparations are underway to conduct a vibration test on the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) for NASA’s VIPER mission inside a laboratory in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 8, 2022. Exposing the instrument to vibration environments that it might see during launch helps engineers to find issues prior to liftoff. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo will be part of NASA’s first Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) mission where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions.
The Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) for NASA’s VIPER mission is being prepared for a vibration test inside a laboratory in the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Nov. 8, 2022. Exposing the instrument to vibration environments that it might see during launch helps engineers to find issues prior to liftoff. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo will be part of NASA’s first Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) mission where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions.
Electronics Engineer and Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) team member Nate Cain conducts electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing inside the EMI Laboratory at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 14, 2022. The tests will verify that MSolo can control the emissions it will produce during its missions and meets EMI susceptibility requirements as part of its preparation to operate in the lunar environment. The third MSolo to go through EMI testing, this is an engineering development unit representative of the flight unit manifested to fly to the Moon’s South Pole as a payload on the agency’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) in 2023. Researchers and engineers are preparing MSolo instruments to launch on four robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) – the first of which is slated for later this year. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, with the later missions also studying water on the lunar surface.
NASA’s Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) undergoes electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing inside the EMI Laboratory at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 14, 2022. These tests will verify that MSolo can control the emissions it will produce during its missions and meets EMI susceptibility requirements as part of its preparation to operate in the lunar environment. The third MSolo to go through EMI testing, this is an engineering development unit representative of the flight unit manifested to fly to the Moon’s South Pole as a payload on the agency’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) in 2023. Researchers and engineers are preparing MSolo to launch on four robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) – the first of which is slated for later this year. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, with the later missions also studying water on the lunar surface.
Electronics Engineer and Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) team member Nate Cain conducts electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing inside the EMI Laboratory at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 14, 2022. These tests will verify that MSolo can control the emissions it will produce during its missions and meets EMI susceptibility requirements as part of its preparation to operate in the lunar environment. The third MSolo to go through EMI testing, this is an engineering development unit representative of the flight unit manifested to fly to the Moon’s South Pole as a payload on the agency’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) in 2023. Researchers and engineers are preparing MSolo instruments to launch on four robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) – the first of which is slated for later this year. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, with the later missions also studying water on the lunar surface.
Electronics Engineer and Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) team member Nate Cain conducts electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing inside the EMI Laboratory at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 14, 2022. The tests will verify that MSolo can control the emissions it will produce during its missions and meets EMI susceptibility requirements as part of its preparation to operate in the lunar environment. The third MSolo to go through EMI testing, this is an engineering development unit representative of the flight unit manifested to fly to the Moon’s South Pole as a payload on the agency’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) in 2023. Researchers and engineers are preparing MSolo instruments to launch on four robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) – the first of which is slated for later this year. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, with the later missions also studying water on the lunar surface.
NASA and Axiom Space teams held the first dual spacesuit run at the Neutral Buoyancy Laboratory in Houston on September 24, 2025 with NASA Astronauts Stan Love and Loral O’Hara wearing Axiom Space’s lunar spacesuit, called the Axiom Extravehicular Mobility Unit (AxEMU). This was the final integration test in the pool, proving both the spacesuit and facility are prepped and ready for Artemis training.
Biological Test Laboratory, Sample Operations Area, Lunar Receiving Laboratory, bldg 37, Manned Spacecraft Center, Houston, Texas.
Technicians prepare the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) for NASA’s Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission for packing inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 21, 2023. MSolo will be shipped to Johnson Space Center in Houston for integration into VIPER. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo will be part of NASA’s first Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) mission where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions. VIPER is scheduled to be delivered to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2024 by Astrobotic’s Griffin lander as part of the CLPS initiative.
Technicians prepare the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) for NASA’s Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission for packing inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 21, 2023. MSolo will be shipped to Johnson Space Center in Houston for integration into VIPER. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo will be part of NASA’s first Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) mission where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions. VIPER is scheduled to be delivered to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2024 by Astrobotic’s Griffin lander as part of the CLPS initiative.
The Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) for NASA’s Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission is prepared for packing inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 21, 2023. MSolo will be shipped to Johnson Space Center in Houston for integration into VIPER. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo will be part of NASA’s first Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) mission where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions. VIPER is scheduled to be delivered to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2024 by Astrobotic’s Griffin lander as part of the CLPS initiative.
Technicians prepare the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) for NASA’s Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission for packing inside a laboratory in the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Feb. 21, 2023. MSolo will be shipped to Johnson Space Center in Houston for integration into VIPER. MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo will be part of NASA’s first Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) mission where under the Artemis program, commercial deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions. VIPER is scheduled to be delivered to the Moon’s South Pole in late 2024 by Astrobotic’s Griffin lander as part of the CLPS initiative.
Nate Cain, an electronics engineer with the Advanced Engineering Development Branch at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, prepares to conduct electromagnetic interference (EMI) testing for the agency’s Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo) instrument inside the EMI Laboratory on Feb. 14, 2022. These tests will verify that MSolo can control the emissions it will produce during its missions and meets EMI susceptibility requirements as part of its preparation to operate in the lunar environment. The third MSolo to go through EMI testing, this is an engineering development unit representative of the flight unit manifested to fly to the Moon’s South Pole as a payload on the agency’s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) in 2023. Researchers and engineers are preparing MSolo instruments to launch on four robotic missions as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) – the first of which is slated for later this year. MSolo will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, with the later missions also studying water on the lunar surface.
The 3D-printed titanium scoop of the Cold Operable Lunar Deployable Arm (COLDArm) robotic arm system is poised above a test bed filled with material to simulate lunar regolith (broken rocks and dust) at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California. COLDArm can function in temperatures as cold as minus 280 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 173 degrees Celsius). Robotics engineer David E. Newill-Smith looks on during testing in September 2022. COLDArm is designed to go on a Moon lander and operate during lunar night, a period that lasts about 14 Earth days. Frigid temperatures during lunar night would stymie current spacecraft, which must rely on energy-consuming heaters to stay warm. To operate in the cold, the 6-foot-6-inch (2-meter) arm combines several key new technologies: gears made of bulk metallic glass that require no lubrication or heating, cold motor controllers that don't need to be kept warm in an electronics box near the core of the spacecraft, and a cryogenic six-axis force torque sensor that lets the arm "feel" what it's doing and make adjustments. A variety of attachments and small instruments could go on the end of the arm, including the scoop, which could be used for collecting samples from a planet's surface. Like the arm on NASA's InSight Mars lander, COLDArm could deploy science instruments to the surface. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25316
Jim Kania (left), Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSOLO) software engineering lead, and Pri Johnson, MSOLO systems engineer, participate in simulation training at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 25, 2023, in preparation for the agency’s Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission. The purpose of the training was to get the integrated VIPER team – a mix of engineers from Kennedy and NASA’s Ames Research Center in California – accustomed to operating together during phases of the mission where the rover will be driving. MSOLO is a modified commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer that will help the agency analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon and study water on the lunar surface. MSOLO, as part of VIPER, is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) initiative in late 2024, landing at the Moon’s South Pole aboard Astrobotic’s Griffin lander. Through Artemis missions, CLPS deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human deep space exploration missions.
Jim Kania (left), Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSOLO) software engineering lead, and Pri Johnson, MSOLO systems engineer, participate in simulation training at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 25, 2023, in preparation for the agency’s Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission. The purpose of the training was to get the integrated VIPER team – a mix of engineers from Kennedy and NASA’s Ames Research Center in California – accustomed to operating together during phases of the mission where the rover will be driving. MSOLO is a modified commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer that will help the agency analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon and study water on the lunar surface. MSOLO, as part of VIPER, is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) initiative in late 2024, landing at the Moon’s South Pole aboard Astrobotic’s Griffin lander. Through Artemis missions, CLPS deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human deep space exploration missions.
Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSOLO) Software Engineering Lead Jim Kania participates in simulation training at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 25, 2023, in preparation for the agency’s Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission. The purpose of the training was to get the integrated VIPER team – a mix of engineers from Kennedy and NASA’s Ames Research Center in California – accustomed to operating together during phases of the mission where the rover will be driving. MSOLO is a modified commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer that will help the agency analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon and study water on the lunar surface. MSOLO, as part of VIPER, is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) initiative in late 2024, landing at the Moon’s South Pole aboard Astrobotic’s Griffin lander. Through Artemis missions, CLPS deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human deep space exploration missions.
Pri Johnson (left), Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSOLO) systems engineer, and Jim Kania, MSOLO software engineering lead, participate in simulation training at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 25, 2023, in preparation for the agency’s Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission. The purpose of the training was to get the integrated VIPER team – a mix of engineers from Kennedy and NASA’s Ames Research Center in California – accustomed to operating together during phases of the mission where the rover will be driving. MSOLO is a modified commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer that will help the agency analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon and study water on the lunar surface. MSOLO, as part of VIPER, is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) initiative in late 2024, landing at the Moon’s South Pole aboard Astrobotic’s Griffin lander. Through Artemis missions, CLPS deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human deep space exploration missions.
Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSOLO) Systems Engineer Pri Johnson participates in simulation training at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on May 25, 2023, in preparation for the agency’s Volatile Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission. The purpose of the training was to get the integrated VIPER team – a mix of engineers from Kennedy and NASA’s Ames Research Center in California – accustomed to operating together during phases of the mission where the rover will be driving. MSOLO is a modified commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer that will help the agency analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon and study water on the lunar surface. MSOLO, as part of VIPER, is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service (CLPS) initiative in late 2024, landing at the Moon’s South Pole aboard Astrobotic’s Griffin lander. Through Artemis missions, CLPS deliveries will be used to perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human deep space exploration missions.
A composite photo made from 18 images of the lunar eclipse above the Space Environments Complex at NASA’s Glenn Research Center at Neil Armstrong Test Facility in Sandusky, Ohio, during the early hours of March 14, 2025. Photo Credit: (NASA/Sara Lowthian-Hanna)
jsc2024e076628 – Tess Caswell, a crew stand-in for the Artemis III Virtual Reality Mini-Simulation, executes a moonwalk in the Prototype Immersive Technology (PIT) lab at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston. The simulation was a test of using VR as a training method for flight controllers and science teams’ collaboration on science-focused traverses on the lunar surface. Credit: NASA/Robert Markowitz
Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover, VIPER Testing in the Simulated Lunar Operations Lab, SLOPE Laboratory
Workers move the Lunar Landing Research Vehicle, or LLRV, into the Edwards Air Force Base Flight Test Museum in California for temporary display.
NASA's Lunar Trailblazer undergoes thermal vacuum chamber (TVAC) testing at Lockheed Martin Space in Littleton, Colorado, in June 2023. The extremely low pressures and temperatures during these tests simulate the conditions that the spacecraft will experience during in space. Lunar Trailblazer, which has a mass of about 440 pounds (200 kilograms) and measures only 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) wide with its solar panels deployed, has now completed TVAC testing and is nearing completion before its planned launch in early 2024. The spacecraft's two science instruments will map the form, abundance, and locations of water in on the lunar surface while also revealing the thermal properties and surface composition of those regions. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA25836
Materials engineer Thomas Lipscomb tests a 3D printer on July 28, 2022, at Swamp Works at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project. Among the key objectives of the project is developing an architectural and structural design for a shelter that provides protection to habitable assets on the lunar surface. Testing REACT derives from NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity with AI SpaceFactory – an architectural and construction technology company and winner of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge.
Chemist Tesia Irwin tests a 3D printer on July 28, 2022, at Swamp Works at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project. Among the key objectives of the project is developing an architectural and structural design for a shelter that provides protection to habitable assets on the lunar surface. Testing REACT derives from NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity with AI SpaceFactory – an architectural and construction technology company and winner of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge.
Shown is a Zero Launch Mass 3D printer on July 28, 2022, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center’s Swamp Works. A team at the Florida spaceport tested the printer as part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project. Among the key objectives of the project is developing an architectural and structural design for a shelter that provides protection to habitable assets on the lunar surface. Testing REACT derives from NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity with AI SpaceFactory – an architectural and construction technology company and winner of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge.
A team at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida tests a 3D printer on July 28, 2022, at the Florida spaceport’s Swamp Works, as part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project. Among the key objectives of the project is developing an architectural and structural design for a shelter that provides protection to habitable assets on the lunar surface. Testing REACT derives from NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity with AI SpaceFactory – an architectural and construction technology company and winner of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge.
A team at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida tests a 3D printer on July 28, 2022, at the Florida spaceport’s Swamp Works, as part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project. Among the key objectives of the project is developing an architectural and structural design for a shelter that provides protection to habitable assets on the lunar surface. Testing REACT derives from NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity with AI SpaceFactory – an architectural and construction technology company and winner of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge.
Chemist Tesia Irwin tests a 3D printer on July 28, 2022, at Swamp Works at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project. Among the key objectives of the project is developing an architectural and structural design for a shelter that provides protection to habitable assets on the lunar surface. Testing REACT derives from NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity with AI SpaceFactory – an architectural and construction technology company and winner of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge.
A boot that's part of a NASA lunar surface spacesuit prototype is readied for testing inside a thermal vacuum chamber called CITADEL at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California on Nov. 8, 2024. The thick aluminum plate at right stands in for the frigid surface of the lunar South Pole, where Artemis III astronauts will confront conditions more extreme than any previously experienced by humans. Built to prepare potential future robotic spacecraft for the frosty, low-pressure conditions on ocean worlds like Jupiter's frozen moon Europa, CITADEL (Cryogenic Ice Testing, Acquisition Development, and Excavation Laboratory) has also proven key to evaluating how astronaut gloves and boots hold up in extraordinary cold. It can reach temperatures as low as low as minus 370 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 223 degrees Celsius), approximating conditions in permanently shadowed regions that astronauts will explore. Figure A, showing the outer boot sole, was taken from inside CITADEL on Nov. 13, 2024. The boot is positioned in a load lock, one of four small drawer-like chambers through which test materials are inserted into the larger chamber. Initiated by the Extravehicular Activity and Human Surface Mobility Program at NASA's Johnson Space Center, the boot testing took place from October 2024 to January 2025. The boot is part of a NASA spacesuit called the Exploration Extravehicular Mobility Unit, or xEMU. Results haven't yet been fully analyzed. In addition to spotting vulnerabilities with existing suits, the experiments are intended to help NASA develop this unique test capability and prepare criteria for standardized, repeatable, and inexpensive test methods for the next-generation lunar suit being built by Axiom Space. https://photojournal.jpl.nasa.gov/catalog/PIA26592
Lunar Node-1, an autonomous navigation payload that will change how human explorers safely traverse the Moon’s surface and live and work in lunar orbit, awaits liftoff as part of Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 mission, its first under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. LN-1 was developed, built, and tested at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama.
This image shows final preparations being made for thermal balance testing of the Diviner Lunar Radiometer Experiment at JPL. Diviner is one of seven instruments aboard NASA LRO Mission.
Chemist Nilab Azim, left, and Nathan Gelino, principal investigator with NASA’s Exploration Research and Technology programs, test a 3D printer on July 28, 2022, at Swamp Works at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project. Among the key objectives of the project is developing an architectural and structural design for a shelter that provides protection to habitable assets on the lunar surface. Testing REACT derives from NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity with AI SpaceFactory – an architectural and construction technology company and winner of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge.
Chemist Nilab Azim, left, and Nathan Gelino, principal investigator with NASA’s Exploration Research and Technology programs, test a 3D printer on July 28, 2022, at Swamp Works at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project. Among the key objectives of the project is developing an architectural and structural design for a shelter that provides protection to habitable assets on the lunar surface. Testing REACT derives from NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity with AI SpaceFactory – an architectural and construction technology company and winner of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge.
NASA Internships, Fellowships, and Scholarships (NIFS) intern Leonel Herrera tests a 3D printer on July 28, 2022, at Swamp Works at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project. Among the key objectives of the project is developing an architectural and structural design for a shelter that provides protection to habitable assets on the lunar surface. Testing REACT derives from NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity with AI SpaceFactory – an architectural and construction technology company and winner of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge.
NASA engineer Evan Bell, left, and NASA Internships, Fellowships, and Scholarships (NIFS) intern Leonel Herrera test a 3D printer on July 28, 2022, at Swamp Works at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, as part of the Relevant Environment Additive Construction Technology (REACT) project. Among the key objectives of the project is developing an architectural and structural design for a shelter that provides protection to habitable assets on the lunar surface. Testing REACT derives from NASA’s 2020 Announcement of Collaboration Opportunity with AI SpaceFactory – an architectural and construction technology company and winner of NASA’s 3D Printed Habitat Challenge.