NASA Is Sending a Laser-Powered Drone Into the Moon's Hidden Caves
NASA has funded a robotics firm to develop a laser-powered drone capable of exploring lunar lava tubes. These underground caverns are being investigated as potential radiation-shielded shelters for future human missions to the Moon.
Why it matters
Developing autonomous exploration technology for extreme lunar environments is a critical step toward establishing long-term human presence on the Moon and Mars.
Somewhere beneath the Moon’s surface, a hole the size of two football fields drops 133 meters into absolute darkness. No sunlight. No GPS . No map. NASA has awarded an Austin robotics firm $175,000 to determine whether a hover drone — powered by a laser beam traveling through a single optical fiber — can descend into that void and return the first images of what may become humanity’s first off-world shelter.
Ancient lunar lava tubes offer natural radiation shielding and stable temperatures, making them prime candidates for the first off-world human shelters.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in