The International Lunar Observatory is a private, scientific and commercial lunar mission to place a small observatory on the South Pole of the Moon to conduct astrophysical studies using an optical telescope. The mission, which was planned for a 2020 launch, is to provide a conceptual design of a lunar observatory that would be reliable, low cost, and fast to implement. Also, it is hoped to be a technology precursor to a 2-meter dish radio observatory on the Moon, and other commercial initiatives. The ILO-1 mission, announced on July 2017, is being organized by the International Lunar Observatory Association and the Space Age Publishing Company. The prime contractors are Moon Express, providing the MX-1E lander, and Canadensys Aerospace, that is providing the optical telescope system. The estimated cost in 2004 was of US$50 million.
Overview
The ILO-1 mission, originally planned to be launched in 2008, was scheduled to be launched in July 2020 with an Electron rocket from New Zealand. The mission was called Moon Express Lunar Scout, and it would have used the MX-1E lander to deliver the observatory on top of the Malapert Mountain, a 5 km tall peak in the Aitken Basin region that has an uninterrupted direct line of sight to Earth, which facilitates communications any time. The status of these plans is currently unknown, as the launch of the MX-1E lander with an Electron rocket was cancelled sometime before February 2020; no launch date or launch rocket for the MX-1E has been since announced, leaving the status of it and ILO-1 unknown. The small robotic observatory is designed to withstand the long lunar nights so it is expected to operate for a few years. Moon Express would have also utilized the mission to explore the Moon's South Pole for mineral resources including water ice. The optical portion of the system is a Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope. The optical system uses a 7 cm diameter lens, with an 18 cm focal plane, a 13 cm f/5.6 aperture, and 6.4-megapixel resolution. The telescope system is "about the size of a shoe-box" with a mass of approximately 2 kg. Some partners include the National Astronomical Observatory of China, Indian Space Research Organisation, the newly formed Southeast Asia Principal Operating Partnership, and others.
Objective
The mission's objective is to conduct astrophysical observations from the surface of the Moon, whose lack of atmosphere eliminates much of the need for costly adaptive optics technology. Also, since the Moon's days have a dark sky, it allows for nonstop astronomical observations. Disadvantages include micrometeorite impacts, cosmic and solar radiation, lunar dust, and temperature shifts as large as 350° Celsius. The mission aims to acquire images of galaxies, stars, planets, the Moon and Earth. The project will promote commercial access to the telescope use to schools, scientists and the public at large through the Internet. Other two unrelated secondary payloads on the lander are a Celestis memorial, and a lunar laser ranging experiment called MoonLIGHT.
