LUMIO (space mission)

LUMIO
NamesLunar Meteoroid Impact Observer
Mission typeLunar exploration
OperatorESA
Mission duration12 months (planned)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftLUMIO
Spacecraft type12U CubeSat
BusCubeSat
ManufacturerArgotec
Launch mass28 kg
Start of mission
Launch date2027 (planned)
Moon orbiter
OrbitsHalo orbit

Lumio mission logo.

LUnar Meteoroid Impact Observer (LUMIO) is a planned lunar exploration mission expected to launch as early as 2027.[1] The main goal of the mission is to detect, quantify, and characterize the impacts of near-Earth meteoroids on the lunar far side.[2] The spacecraft consists of a 12-U CubeSat that will operate in a halo orbit around the L2 Lagrange point of the Earth-Moon system.[3] It is an autonomus mission of the European Space Agency[1] and is currently being developed by an international consortium which includes Politecnico di Milano, Argotec, Leonardo, IMT,[4] Nautilus[5] and S&T Norway.[6][7]

The main scientific payload of LUMIO is a custom-designed optical camera, called LUMIO-Cam, which will observe the lunar surface in umbra to detect the flashes caused by asteroid impacts. Scientific data from the mission will be integrated with observations from the Earth to elaborate the first complete and accurate model of meteoroids flux in the lunar environment.[2][8]

  1. ^ a b "LUMIO – New CubeSat Illuminating Lunar Impacts". www.esa.int. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
  2. ^ a b Topputo, F.; Merisio, G.; Franzese, V.; Giordano, C.; Massari, M.; Pilato, G.; Labate, D.; Cervone, A.; Speretta, S.; Menicucci, A.; Turan, E.; Bertels, E.; Vennekens, J.; Walker, R.; Koschny, D. (2023-01-01). "Meteoroids detection with the LUMIO lunar CubeSat". Icarus. 389: 115213. doi:10.1016/j.icarus.2022.115213. hdl:11311/1220990. ISSN 0019-1035. S2CID 251828587.
  3. ^ Cipriano, Ana M.; Dei Tos, Diogene A.; Topputo, Francesco (2018). "Orbit Design for LUMIO: The Lunar Meteoroid Impacts Observer". Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences. 5. doi:10.3389/fspas.2018.00029. hdl:11311/1064224. ISSN 2296-987X.
  4. ^ "IMT srl". Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  5. ^ "Nautilus". Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  6. ^ "S[&]T Norway". Retrieved 2023-07-11.
  7. ^ "Opening Details". Politecnico di Milano. Retrieved 2023-07-06.
  8. ^ "LUMIO (Lunar Meteoroid Impact Observer)". www.eoportal.org. Retrieved 2023-07-06.