Integrating The Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo)

Inside the Space Station Processing Facility at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, an engineer installs the Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo) onto its radiator bracket on June 14, 2022.
Having successfully completed its thermal vacuum testing, the unit will undergo vibration testing later this month. This spectrometer is part of the PRIME-1 (Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1) payload suite, slated to launch to the Moon in 2023 with Intuitive Machines.

MSolo is a commercial off-the-shelf mass spectrometer modified to work in space and it will help analyze the chemical makeup of landing sites on the Moon, as well as study water on the lunar surface. MSolo is manifested to fly on four of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service missions where under Artemis, commercial deliveries beginning in 2023 will perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities to help NASA explore the Moon and prepare for human missions.

Photo credit: NASA/Kim Shiflett Larger image