With the launch of Artemis II, the first mission to send humans to fly by the Moon in more than half a century, the Artemis program enters its next exciting phase with the eventual goal of landing humans on the Moon. Humanity’s return to the Moon offers an opportunity to learn more about Earth’s closest celestial neighbor. From gaining a better understanding of how the Moon formed to elucidating the dangers of lunar dust and searching for ice in the permanently shadowed craters of the South Pole, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) at the University of Colorado Boulder is advancing NASA’s priorities for lunar science, discovery, and exploration.
1. Monitoring space weather with IMAP
IMAP (Interstellar Mapping and Acceleration Probe) is stationed at Lagrange point 1, approximately 1 million miles from Earth and closer to the Sun, a key point in space that helps us closer to home. The IMAP I-ALiRT (Active Link for Real-Time) data system will be providing real-time space weather data for NASA to use for Artemis II in support of astronaut health and safety, providing advance warning of particle or radiation activity. This data is compiled from five in-situ instruments onboard IMAP, including SWAPI, CoDICE, HIT, MAG, and SWE as part of its primary science mission. LASP oversees IMAP mission operations and, specifically, creation and delivery of these data products.
2. The impact of dangerous dust
The IMPACT (Institute for Modeling Plasma, Atmospheres, and Cosmic Dust) lab studies the dusty plasma environment around airless bodies such as the Moon. One area that IMPACT specializes in is lunar dust mitigation—how to safely remove lunar dust in a space environment—as the sharp, scratchy dust can adversely impact future lunar exploration. The Moon has no global magnetic field and a tenuous atmosphere, so the surface is directly exposed to the solar wind and ultraviolet radiation, causing lunar dust to become charged and readily stick to all surfaces. LASP scientists have developed a way of mitigating this dust using electron beams, which quickly and safely remove lunar dust from materials.
3. Looking ahead to Artemis IV with DUSTER
In December 2025, NASA announced that instruments to be designed and built by researchers at LASP were selected for development for the Artemis IV mission. LASP’s DUSTER (DUst and plaSma environmenT surveyor) will study the dust and plasma environment at the lunar South Pole and how it varies over time and by location to ensure astronaut safety and reliable operation of exploration equipment. DUSTER consists of two instruments: the Electrostatic Dust Analyzer (EDA)—which will measure the charge, velocity, size, and flux of dust particles lofted from the lunar surface—and the Relaxation SOunder and differentiaL VoltagE (RESOLVE) instrument—which will characterize the average electron density above the lunar surface using plasma sounding.
4. Heat-sensing camera will hunt for hidden ice
NASA is also returning to the Moon is through its CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) program, which is working with American companies to deliver scientific, exploration, and technology payloads to the Moon’s surface and orbit. The remote sensing instrument L-CIRiS (Lunar Compact Infrared Imaging System), led by LASP scientist Paul Hayne and part of the CP-22 mission, will help identify potential cold traps on the poles of the Moon where water ice may exist. L‑CIRiS will deploy a radiometer—an instrument that measures infrared wavelengths to obtain detailed observations of possible ice-bearing craters on the lunar surface. The L-CIRiS instrument was built by BAE Systems in Boulder, Colorado, in partnership with LASP. NASA plans to deploy L-CIRiS near the Moon’s South Pole in late 2027.
5. Shining a light on the Moon’s oldest and coldest craters
Another study involving LASP planetary scientist Paul Hayne suggests that water on the Moon likely accumulated gradually over billions of years rather than arriving in a single major event. The research, conducted by an international team of scientists including Hayne, was recently accepted for publication in Nature Astronomy. The study was led by Oded Aharonson, a planetary scientist at the Weizmann Institute of Science in Israel, who carried out the work as a visiting scholar at LASP in 2025. The team drew on observations from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO), launched in 2009. LRO had detected hints of possible ice inside some of the Moon’s permanently shadowed craters. To understand how that ice might have formed, the team used a series of computer simulations to reconstruct the temperature histories of lunar craters over time. Their results revealed a striking pattern: the Moon’s oldest and coldest craters—those that have remained in shadow the longest—correspond to the regions where LRO detected the strongest signs of ice. This insight could help guide future astronauts in their search for lunar water.
6. Tracking water and mapping minerals at the lunar South Pole Water at the Moon’s poles is likely to be a key resource for future surface missions like Artemis IV. LASP scientist Dr. Harish is studying how impacts by asteroids and comets may have released water that migrated to permanently shadowed regions near the lunar South Pole. By modeling how water is released from numerous impact craters on the Moon, Harish and team are working to model how this water could move across long distances and collect in shadows near the lunar South Pole. This work can help scientists understand where lunar water comes from and help plan future extraction and analysis of icy samples.
LASP will also be driving the collection and creation of maps of water and minerals on the Moon from orbit.
LASP Director Bethany Ehlmann is deputy principal investigator of the Ultra-Compact Imaging Spectrometer for the Moon, which was selected for flight and will provide maps for the future Lunar Terrain Vehicle and other surface missions. Ehlmann will work with the principal investigator Abigail Fraeman and engineers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory to measure the form, abundance, distribution, and potential time variability of water on the sunlit Moon and in craters within the lunar south polar region. It will also collect mineral maps to improve understanding of how the Moon formed and distribution of potential resources. LASP will provide science operations for the instrument and do the science data processing to make high-resolution maps of ice and minerals to guide future exploration.
6. Tracking water and mapping minerals at the lunar South Pole Water at the Moon’s poles is likely to be a key resource for future surface missions like Artemis IV. LASP scientist Dr. Harish is studying how impacts by asteroids and comets may have released water that migrated to permanently shadowed regions near the lunar South Pole. By modeling how water is released from numerous impact craters on the Moon, Harish and team are working to model how this water could move across long distances and collect in shadows near the lunar South Pole. This work can help scientists understand where lunar water comes from and help plan future extraction and analysis of icy samples.
LASP will also be driving the collection and creation of maps of water and minerals on the Moon from orbit.
LASP Director Bethany Ehlmann is deputy principal investigator of the Ultra-Compact Imaging Spectrometer for the Moon, which was selected for flight and will provide maps for the future Lunar Terrain Vehicle and other surface missions. Ehlmann will work with the principal investigator Abigail Fraeman and engineers at the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory to measure the form, abundance, distribution, and potential time variability of water on the sunlit Moon and in craters within the lunar south polar region. It will also collect mineral maps to improve understanding of how the Moon formed and distribution of potential resources. LASP will provide science operations for the instrument and do the science data processing to make high-resolution maps of ice and minerals to guide future exploration.
The future of lunar exploration and beyond
One key to future exploration will be developing new techniques and instrumentation that are driven by science questions in order to better understand lunar and planetary surfaces. At LASP, planetary scientists, geologists, and remote sensing experts are working together to not only ask critical science questions, but also to develop the technology to answer them. From safeguarding crews with real‑time space weather data to unraveling the mysteries of lunar water and mitigating the hazards of dust, LASP’s contributions span the spectrum of challenges facing Artemis‑era science. By uniting expertise in planetary science, engineering, and remote sensing, LASP is not only advancing NASA’s priorities, but also redefining what is possible as humanity prepares to return to the Moon.
By LASP Communications Staff
Founded a decade before NASA, the Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics at the University of Colorado Boulder (LASP) is revolutionizing human understanding of the cosmos. LASP is deeply committed to inspiring and educating the next generation of space explorers. From the first exploratory rocket measurements of Earth’s upper atmosphere to trailblazing observations of every planet in the solar system, LASP continues to build on its remarkable history with a nearly $1 billion portfolio of new research and engineering programs.
