MoonRise
Sign in to saveMoonRise was a robotic mission concept to the south pole of the Moon. It was proposed in 2010 and 2017 for NASA's New Frontiers program mission 3 and 4, respectively, but it was not selected. If funded and launched by another NASA opportunity, it would focus on the giant South Pole–Aitken basin (SPA basin) on the far side of the Moon between the Moon's South Pole and Aitken Crater, 16° south of the Moon's equator. This basin measures nearly in diameter and in depth. This region is the oldest and deepest observable impact basin on the Moon and provides a window into the deep crust of the Moon a
Wikidata facts
- Official website
- moonrise.jpl.nasa.gov
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- UTC date of spacecraft launch
- 2024-00-00
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5 sectionsContents
- Science objectives
- Future prospects
- See also
- References
- External links
MoonRise was a robotic mission concept to the south pole of the Moon. It was proposed in 2010 and 2017 for NASA's New Frontiers program mission 3 and 4, respectively, but it was not selected. If funded and launched by another NASA opportunity, it would focus on the giant South Pole–Aitken basin (SPA basin) on the far side of the Moon between the Moon's South Pole and Aitken Crater, 16° south of the Moon's equator. This basin measures nearly in diameter and in depth. This region is the oldest and deepest observable impact basin on the Moon and provides a window into the deep crust of the Moon and its history as a result. The basin is also among the largest recognized impact structures in the Solar System.
MoonRise was not selected for the third New Frontiers program mission 3, losing out to the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission, and it lost again in the 2017 competition for New Frontiers program mission 4. In February 2025, the recommended mission themes for New Frontiers program mission 5 were revised, with the SPA basin lunar sample return concept proposed to no longer be eligible.