Class of 2024: Mini-Luna

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Sponsors + Partner Organizations

We are very thankful for the following organizations for making this summer’s program possible!

MINI-LUNA

Cislunar Asteroid Remote Sensing Mission

Mission Overview

The 12U Mini-Luna SmallSat will travel on a rideshare program on a Lunar Transfer Injection (LTI) to the Earth-Moon L2 (Lagrange) point. Mini-Luna will study the TCO using remote sensing composition analysis instruments, with an extended mission to redirect the TCO.

Mission Motivation

From the Decadal Surveys:

  • Q1.2b How, Where, and When Did Radial Mixing and Segregation of Solids and Gas Occur in the Nebula?
  • Q1.3c Which Reservoirs and Materials (Gas, Rock, Ice, Organics) Formed into Planetesimals?
  • Q4.1b How Has Collisional and Dynamical Evolution Affected Small Body Populations?
  • Q4.1c What Are the Life Cycles (Physical States and Rotational Properties) of Small Bodies in the Solar System and How Are They Affected by Collisions, Thermal Changes, and Non-gravitational Forces?
Mission Background: What are Mini-Moons?

[Image credit: ESA]
Temporarily captured orbiters (TCOs) are mini-moons that occasionally pass through the Earth-Moon system. These objects are primarily made of organic carbon, stones, irons, or a mix of the things we have found on Earth. Beyond that, they may contain organic life-forming materials as well. Understanding their composition can bring us closer to understanding where they formed and originated from within our solar backyard.

Science Objectives
  • Characterize internal structure of TCO
  • Determine size, shape, and rotation rate of the TCO
  • Characterize surface composition of materials, volatile compounds
Mission Storyboard

MINI-LUNA Spacecraft, TREX (TCO Rendezvous Explorer)

TREX rendezvous with a TCO and capture surface and tomographic imagery in order to analyze the target asteroid’s composition and structure.

Spacecraft overview:

  • Stowed Size: 12U
  • Total Mass: 22.4 kg
  • Time to TCO  100 days
  • Instruments: hyperspectral Imager, Low Frequency Radar (pictured below)
TREX science instruments
Learn more about Mini-Luna:

Mission Fact Sheet

Mission Concept Review