Lunar Polar Science Package certified for flight

ANSA has certified the Lunar Polar Science Package for flight on ALEP 15 following completion of environmental acceptance testing at the Veyra Spaceflight Center. The integrated package contains nine investigations supplied by ANSA laboratories, Ainare universities and competitively selected international research teams.

Testing reproduced the mechanical loads of launch, the thermal conditions expected during translunar flight and the low-temperature environment at de Gerlache–Shackleton Ridge 2. The package also completed electromagnetic-compatibility testing with the Dawn lander, Rook-1 rover and Beacon surface relay.

The investigations will measure volatile-bearing regolith, plasma and charged dust, subsurface temperature, radiation, local seismic activity and the mechanical behavior of polar soil. A 2.5-m coring system will place selected material directly into sealed cryogenic containers for return to the Lunar Sample Laboratory.

Certification transfers custody of the package to the ALEP Ground Operations Office. The instruments will be installed in their flight containers, subjected to a final functional check and transported under controlled conditions to Cape Halcyon for vehicle integration.