SpacecraftMoonEnded
Lunar Trailblazer
NASA small lunar orbiter designed to map the abundance, form and time variation of water on the Moon's surface. It launched on 26 February 2025 as a rideshare on the IM-2 Falcon 9; contact was lost the next day because its solar arrays were not oriented toward the Sun, and NASA ended the mission on 31 July 2025.
Objective. Produce high-resolution maps of lunar surface water: its form, amount and change over time.
Targeted
Facts
- Kind
- Spacecraft
- Mission type
- Prospecting
- Target
- MoonLunar orbit (global mapping)
- Launch
- 2025-02-26
- Launch vehicle
- SpaceX Falcon 9 (rideshare with IM-2)
- Phase
- EndedJPL release of 2025-08-04 states the mission ended on July 31 (2025).
- Outcome
- FailureBasis: agency statement
- Why it is included
- Stated resource objective
Outcome statement (agency statement)
Despite extensive efforts, mission operators were unable to establish two-way communications after losing contact with the spacecraft the day following its Feb. 26 launch.
Participants
Operators, payload owners, carriers and customers are recorded separately.
| Organization | Role |
|---|---|
| National Aeronautics and Space Administration | Operator |
Resources and evidence
| Resource | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Water ice | Targeted |
| Volatiles | Targeted |
Open evidence gaps
No open evidence gaps recorded for this record.
Sources
4 sourcesDespite extensive efforts, mission operators were unable to establish two-way communications after losing contact with the spacecraft the day following its Feb. 26 launch.
The mission aimed to produce high-resolution maps of water on the Moon's surface and determine what form the water is in, how much is there, and how it changes over time.
Lunar Trailblazer shared a ride on the second Intuitive Machines robotic lunar lander mission, IM-2, which lifted off at 7:16 p.m. EST on Feb. 26 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket
the spacecraft's solar arrays were not properly oriented toward the Sun, which caused its batteries to become depleted