NASA took an important step to facilitate navigation on the Moon. For the first time, GPS signals have been transmitted to the Moon and this system will be used in future tasks.
NASAHas signed a historical development to create a more sensitive navigation system on the moon surface and orbit. Within the scope of Lunar GNSS Receiver Test (Lugre), GPS signals from Earth to the Moon were successfully sent and followed by a device on the surface of the moon. This experiment aims to lay the basis of a navigation system in which astronauts and spacecraft can easily determine the location on the Moon.
GPS Use Started on the Moon
NASA’s Lugre project was carried out as a part of the Blue Ghost, which landed on the Moon on March 2. During the experiment, the signals from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) in Earth orbit were taken and watched by a special device on the moon surface. GNSS is a technology used for navigation of many devices from smartphones to aircraft in the world. The usability of these signals on the Moon is seen as a great success for NASA.
“Lugre showed that we can successfully and follow the GNSS signals on the Moon on the Moon. This is an exciting discovery for the moon navigation. ” The new technology will enable them to synchronize the positions and speeds of spacecraft on the surface and orbit of the moon and follow them over time.
Lugre will facilitate navigation not only on the moon surface, but also for spacecraft traveling between the Earth and the Moon. Today, the location of spacecraft is calculated with complex observation and sensor systems. The new system aims to reduce the workload of ground control teams by simplifying these processes. The device has reported that the GNSS signals will continue to test a distance of approximately 360,000 kilometers for 14 days. These tests aim to increase the reliability of the system and to determine possible problems.
The Lugre project was developed in cooperation with NASA and the Italian Space Agency (ISA), which can be presented to other space agencies. This project is also part of NASA’s Artemis program. The Artemis program aims to send astronaut to the Moon until 2027 and to establish a permanent base on the Moon in the long run. This technological progress will pave the way for more and more effective tasks on the Moon. With this development, NASA points to the beginning of a new era in the discovery of space.