NASA to Investigate Age, Composition of Lunar Surface Under New PRISM Project

NASA has chosen “Dating an Irregular Mare Patch with a Lunar Explorer” under the Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon effort, which facilitates lunar research by sending up suites of scientific instruments via the Commercial Lunar Payload Services.

The DIMPLE instrument, which was chosen under the third annual PRISM call for proposals, will explore the Ina Irregular Mare Patch, hilly terrain on the lunar surface resulting from volcanic activity. The patch, discovered by orbital images taken during the Apollo 15 mission in 1971, could help scientists learn more about the history of the moon as well as that of the solar system.

DIMPLE will work to determine if recent or ancient volcanic activity created the Ina Irregular Mare Patch. It will work with a rover, a collector and a spectrometer to collect samples to analyze the patch’s composition and age.

The payload is expected to be delivered in the second quarter of 2027. It will be launched to the moon through a CLPS task order slated for 2024, NASA said.