Lunar Trailblazer in Science Orbit (Artist's Concept)
Sunlight gleams off NASA's Lunar Trailblazer in this artist's concept depicting the small satellite in lunar orbit. The spacecraft weighs only 440 pounds (200 kilograms) and measures 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) wide when its solar panels are fully deployed.
Caltech leads Lunar Trailblazer's science investigation, and Caltech's IPAC leads mission operations, which includes planning, scheduling, and sequencing of all spacecraft activities. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California manages Lunar Trailblazer and provides system engineering, mission assurance, the HVM³ instrument, and mission design and navigation. Caltech manages JPL for the agency. Lockheed Martin Space provided the spacecraft, integrated the flight system, and supports operations under contract with Caltech. The University of Oxford developed and provided the LTM instrument, funded by the UK Space Agency. Lunar Trailblazer, part of NASA's Lunar Discovery Exploration Program, is managed by NASA's Planetary Mission Program Office at Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for the agency's Science Mission Directorate in Washington.
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