Water, Water Everywhere, But Not A Drop… Or Is There? Northrop’s Moon Mission

In 2009, a vehicle designed to impact the moon to determine if Moon water exists is planned, and Northrop Grumman’s [NYSE:NOC] Space Technology sector is building the Lunar CRater Observation and Sensing Satellite. Known as LCROSS, this effort is being undertaken via a NASA Ames Research Center contract.



Integration and test (I&T) on LCROSS started with preparations for electrical harnesses placements, which follow the installation of the propulsion subsystem. Over the next nine months, work will continue as the spacecraft’s subsystems and NASA-provided science payload are integrated onto the structure. Environmental testing is scheduled to start next summer, with LCROSS to be delivered to NASA’s John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida later in the summer. Launch is scheduled for the winnter 2008 to 2009 timeframe. Impact on the moon will occur some three months after the launch. The impact is projected to send a greater-than 250-metric-ton plume higher than 10 kilometers from the Moon’s surface. If there are clear viewing conditions, and you have an adequate telescope, the impact’s results should be visible from Earth.