LADEE
Full Name: Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer
Phase: Under study
Launch Date: May 01, 2012
Program(s): Robotic Lunar Exploration
Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE) is a NASA mission that will orbit the Moon and its main objective is to characterize the atmosphere and lunar dust environment.
LADEE implements an early priority of the National Resarch Council’s report, The Scientific Context for the Exploration of the Moon (NRC, 2007), namely to “determine the global density, composition, and time variability of the fragile lunar atmosphere before it is perturbed by further human activity."
LADEE will have a mass about 130 kg. It will launched together with the JPL-led GRAIL mission on a Delta-II launch vehicle.
In addition to the science objectives, the mission will be testing a new spacecraft architecture called the ‘Modular Common Bus’ -- which is being developed by NASA as a flexible, low cost, rapid turn around spacecraft for both orbiting and landing on the Moon and other deep space targets. It is hoped that such a capability will enable the Agency to perform future science goals for reduced cost.