Moon

A Launchpad to the Past and Future

Our Moon is the only world beyond Earth where humans have set foot. The Moon presents a tantalizing array of exploration, science, and technology demonstration opportunities.

Formed from the cataclysmic collision of a Mars-sized planet with the early Earth, our Moon bears many scars from the foundation of the solar system, making it a powerful witness to understanding the solar system’s past and estimating the age of other worlds. APL houses the world’s largest community of lunar experts in a single location, and with heightened interest in returning to the Moon, our researchers are at the forefront in providing cutting-edge science and concerted technological efforts to help us return, explore, and understand our closest celestial neighbor.

Related Areas of Impact

Space Science and Engineering

Mission Area

Missions

APL has designed, built, and operated more than 70 innovative spacecraft over its six decades of spaceflight experience. Click below to learn about some of the missions that made revolutionary discoveries, and spacecraft that will push the boundaries of exploration and investigate outstanding scientific mysteries.

Lunar Vertex Moon

Lunar Vertex will be the first mission to carry out a comprehensive study of lunar magnetic anomaly and the associated swirl and mini-magnetosphere.

Learn more about Lunar Vertex

Initiatives

While APL may be known for engaging is space-firsts and building first-of-its-kind spacecraft that deflect asteroids or touch the sun, it also has a deep knowledge base of science and engineering experts who provide critical contributions to critical challenges. Through initiatives like Planetary Defense, Heliophysics and Space Weather, and Cislunar Operations, APL is able to deliver game-changing impacts for civil and national security.

Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative Moon

APL holds a key leadership role in NASA’s Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative (LSII), which aims to spur the development and deployment of technologies enabling humans to live and work on the Moon.

Learn more about Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative

Instruments

Scientists and engineers at APL have designed, built, and operated more than 300 novel space instruments and methods to conduct cutting-edge research and make groundbreaking discoveries. Click below to learn about some of these instruments and their role in shaping our understanding of space and the solar system.

a magnetic field at the Moon’s Reiner Gamma swirl

Vector Magnetometers Moon

A small rover that will explore as much as 2 kilometers (just over a mile) of one of the Moon’s most famous magnetic “swirls.”

Learn more about Vector Magnetometers

Spacecraft with Mini-RF instruments outside the moon

Mini-RF Moon

Mini-RF data is advancing our understanding of the lunar poles — prime targets for humankind’s return to the Moon.

Learn more about Mini-RF