NASA Picks Three New Science Payloads to Scout the Moon for a Future Base

NASA selected three new scientific payload suites on September 30, 2026, to study the lunar surface and help prepare for a permanent human outpost, the agency announced at nasa.gov.

The selections came through NASA's PRISM program (Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon) and will reach the lunar surface aboard commercial landers under the agency's CLPS initiative (Commercial Lunar Payload Services), according to the NASA release. The payloads will study lunar resources, map potential underground shelters, and monitor environmental hazards.

What the Three Payloads Will Do

The first payload, the Lunar Environment Monitoring Station for the South Pole (LEMS-SP), will work as a long-term hazard and environment monitor. It will track micrometeoroid impacts and measure the abundance of volatiles, materials that shift easily into gas, drifting through the Moon's thin outer layer of gases. A short-period seismometer, a device that detects ground motion, will record seismic events. The principal investigator is Dr. Mehdi Benna of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, NASA said.

The second payload, the Geophysical Investigation for Mapping Lunar Interior (GIMLI), will be deployed at a specific site called the Marius Hills Pit. Its job is to scan beneath the surface to determine whether that pit opens into a large underground lava tube. Lava tubes are hollow tunnels left by ancient volcanic flows. If confirmed, they could serve as ready-made shelters, offering protection from extreme temperatures, radiation, and micrometeoroid strikes. The principal investigator is Dr. Nathaniel Putzig of the Planetary Science Institute, according to NASA.

The third payload, the Depth Imager with Spectral and Color Optics (DISCO), will take the first direct, ground-level measurements of ice hidden in lunar micro-cold traps, small permanently shadowed pockets where ice can persist. It will also study how rocket exhaust disturbs the surface during landing and assess ground stability for future vehicle movement. The principal investigator is Dr. Ariel Deutsch of NASA's Ames Research Center in California's Silicon Valley, NASA said. The agency noted in an editor's correction dated September 30, 2026, that the name of this payload had been updated in the release.

Why This Matters for Moon Base

Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, described the selections as building what she called "the ultimate interplanetary survival guide." The goal, she said in the NASA release, is to send science ahead of astronaut crews so that crews arrive knowing the hazards, the resources, and the safe spots.

Brad Bailey, director of the Exploration Science Strategy Integration Office in NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said in the same release that each new PRISM selection strengthens the agency's ability to deliver science to the lunar surface and advances understanding of the Moon's environment.

The payloads connect directly to NASA's Moon Base Program, which the agency describes as a plan to establish humanity's first permanent lunar outpost. Scientific American reported in a related story that NASA awarded nearly $600 million to three companies, Astrobotic, Firefly Aerospace, and Intuitive Machines, to conduct four lunar lander missions in late 2028, with each company flying updated versions of previously flown lander designs. Those figures and company names come from Scientific American's reporting and are not confirmed in the NASA PRISM release.

The Commercial Delivery System

The payloads will fly to the Moon under the CLPS initiative, which pairs NASA science with American commercial landers. NASA's CLPS delivery page at science.nasa.gov lists more than a dozen planned deliveries, ranging from missions already completed to those still in planning. Two missions have already landed: Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander reached Malapert A on February 22, 2024, and Firefly's Blue Ghost 1 delivered ten payloads to Mare Crisium, according to that page. The CLPS page also lists a delivery called CS-8, described only as one that "will deliver Moon Base payloads to the lunar surface," with no lander, date, or further detail provided.

Which specific CLPS delivery will carry the three newly selected PRISM payloads is not stated in the NASA release or on the CLPS delivery page as of today.

What Comes Next

NASA said it is increasing the pace of lunar missions to build toward Moon Base, with science and technology payloads going ahead of astronaut crews. The agency's CLPS delivery list at science.nasa.gov shows multiple missions in planning for the lunar south pole and other sites, though delivery dates for most are not specified on that page. The status of each mission listed is planned, not scheduled, and no liftoff dates appear in the record for the newly selected payloads.

More information on NASA's lunar science program is available at science.nasa.gov/lunar-science.

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