Prospect Moon (Interlune payload suite)
Interlune payload suite funded by a NASA SBIR Phase III contract (about $6.9 million, signed 2026-02-24). It is designed to collect and size-sort regolith, release volatile gases and measure their concentrations, with multispectral data used to estimate helium-3 abundance. Interlune expects lander-integration readiness in September 2027 and is seeking transport for a 2028 launch; no lander is named.
Objective. Compare thermal and mechanical release of solar-wind gases from regolith, measure gas concentrations, test grain-size sorting, and use multispectral proxy data to estimate helium-3 abundance.
This is one payload. It does not inherit the carrier mission's outcome.
Facts
- Kind
- Payload
- Carried by
- Not recorded
- Mission type
- Prospecting
- Target
- MoonNearside equatorial mare site (per Interlune's 2025 LPSC abstract; not restated in 2026 sources)No map point: The record names a near-side equatorial mare site, not a specific feature.
- Launch
- Not recorded
- Phase
- In developmentIn development. The reopened USAspending record lists NASA contract 80NSSC26C0002, $6,893,204 obligated, signed February 24, 2026, with a performance period ending September 1, 2027. NASA describes engineering-unit and flight-hardware development. Interlune's October 13 update describes separate samples for heating to 950 degrees Celsius, mechanical milling and grain-size sorting; these are planned tests. It still seeks a 2028 ride, distinct from expected September 2027 integration readiness.
- Outcome
- Not applicable
- Why it is included
- Stated resource objective
How this launch date changed
Recorded change: the plan before → the plan after, oldest first.
- 2026-10-13: 2027 → 2028 (target; seeking a ride)Schedule slip [8]
Only changes recorded here are listed. The oldest date shown may not be the first plan ever announced, and a date with no recorded change may still have moved. A plan is not a launch.
What comes next
No planned launch or landing date is recorded.
Participants
Operators, payload owners, carriers and customers are recorded separately.
| Organization | Role |
|---|---|
| Interlune | Operator |
| Interlune | Payload owner |
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | Funder |
Resources and evidence
| Resource | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Helium-3 | Targeted |
| Volatiles | Targeted |
| Regolith | Targeted |
Dated events
- 2026-02-24
NASA SBIR Phase III contract to Interlune for Prospect Moon
NASA awarded Interlune SBIR Phase III contract 80NSSC26C0002 ($6,893,204, signed 2026-02-24) for 'Prospect Moon', a lunar resource technology demonstration and prospecting payload; NASA announced the award in May 2026.
Sources (2)
"total_obligation":6893204.0,"subaward_count":0,"total_subaward_amount":null,"date_signed":"2026-02-24"
To advance ISRU technologies, NASA has awarded a firm-fixed-price contract of $6.9 million over the next year and a half to Interlune of Seattle
Open evidence gaps
- The reviewed October operator update names no lander, CLPS task order, launch vehicle or committed flight date.
- No lunar results or independently demonstrated tenfold energy advantage were established; the mechanical-versus-thermal efficiency comparison is a company claim to be tested.
- The mass spectrometer measures released gases; multispectral proxy data support helium-3 estimates. Direct isotope-specific helium-3 quantification is not established by the reviewed design descriptions.
- The nearside equatorial mare landing concept comes from the 2025 abstract and is not restated in the 2026 updates.
Record history
changes to this record's facts, newest first
| Changed | Field | Was | Now | Reason | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-10-13 | launch date | 2027 | 2028 (target; seeking a ride) | Schedule slip | [8] |
Sources
8 excerpts from 5 publicationsOne web address counts as one publication.
PROSPECT MOON: A LUNAR RESOURCE TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATION AND PROSPECTING MISSION
The payload is designed to collect lunar regolith samples, sort particles by size, extract solar wind volatile gases, and measure their quantities.
The Interlune payload, which will be ready for launch in 2028, builds on prior work with NASA's Flight Opportunities program and the National Science Foundation (NSF)
It has been designed to fly on one of the commercial robotic landers developed for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.
Prospect Moon is Interlune's upcoming prospecting mission. It will launch in 2027 and land on the lunar surface at a nearside, equatorial mare site.
ready for integration on a lander in September 2027
a multi-spectral camera to collect data that will estimate helium-3 concentrations
Interlune is actively seeking a ride for a 2028 launch
Cite this record
SpaceMiningData, “Prospect Moon (Interlune payload suite)”, dataset version a00fa2c68a45, built 2026-11-11, https://spaceminingdata.com/missions/interlune-prospect-moon.html. Record checked 2026-10-28.