NASA To Announce New Robotic Lunar Lander Mission in 2008

Editor’s note: This recent NASA media announcement has to do with the fact that NASA wants to put a lunar lander on LRO as a secondary payload. Raytheon has a proposal in for a design for such a landing vehicle.

Editor’s 7 April update: The following 4 items have been under consideration as a secondary payload on LRO:

– JPL Impactor
– ARC Impactor
– ARC Orbiter (LEAH)
– GSFC LEX – a Raytheon EKV derived lander/hopper

Editor’s 7 April update: Reliable sources all seem to be pointing in the direction of ARC’s impactor as the lucky choice. Stay tuned.

NASA Exploration Briefing on New Lunar Mission

Exploration Systems managers will brief news media at 2 p.m. EDT Monday, April 10, about plans to conduct high risk and high return research of the lunar surface using a new spacecraft. The press conference will be held in the NASA Headquarters auditorium, 300 E Street S.W., Washington.

The press conference will air live on NASA TV and NASA.gov. Reporters may ask questions from participating NASA locations.

NASA managers, engineers, and scientists have been reviewing secondary spacecraft proposals that take advantage of the payload capability of the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle, the rocket that will launch the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter in October 2008.

Associate Administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate Scott Horowitz and lunar program managers will announce the winning proposal and discuss its unique mission.

NASA TV’s Public, Education and Media channels are available on an MPEG-2 digital C-band signal accessed via satellite AMC-6, at 72 degrees west longitude, transponder 17C, 4040 MHz, vertical polarization. In Alaska and Hawaii, they’re on AMC-7 at 137 degrees west longitude, transponder 18C, at 4060 MHz, horizontal polarization. For digital downlink information and links to streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/ntv