Moonlight & Mechanicals by Cindy Spencer Pape

The experiment and agreement between the collaborators was announced on. Additional partners and collaborators include the Italian Space Agency's Matera Laser Ranging Observatory, as well as others laser ranging observatories and research institutes. MoonLIGHT is a single 100 mm-large CCR developed as a collaboration primarily between the University of Maryland and the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics - National Laboratories of Frascati (INFN-LNF). Researchers think these studies may also help understand the nature of dark energy.

The reflector arrays are designed to allow more accurate measurements from Earth that will increase lunar mapping accuracy, will test principles of Einstein's general theory of relativity, and other theories of gravity. The retroreflector (mirrors) send the pulse straight back to the originating telescope where the round trip time-and therefore the exact distance-is recorded. The principle of this laser ranging is based on laser pulses sent from a telescope on Earth to the retroreflector array on the Moon. Since 1969, it is possible to perform Lunar Laser Ranging (LLR) measurements thanks to the Cube Corner Retroreflector (CCR) arrays placed on the lunar surface by the Apollo and Luna missions.

Laser Ranging is a technique used to perform accurate precision distance measurements between a laser and an optical target, called retroreflector. Lunar laser ranging at Goddard Space Flight Center Nova-C, the lander on which MPAc will be integrated, is designed by Intuitive Machines and the landing site is Reiner Gamma. In 2021, ESA agreed with NASA to launch MPAc with a Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) mission. MPAc is an INFN development for ESA, with auxiliary support by the Italian Space Agency ( ASI) for prototyping work.

In 2018 INFN proposed to the European Space Agency (ESA) the MoonLIGHT Pointing Actuators (MPAc) project and was contracted by ESA to deliver it. However, as of February 2020, the launch of the MX-1E has been canceled. MoonLIGHT was planned to be launched in July 2020 as a secondary payload on the MX-1E lunar lander built by the private company Moon Express. MoonLIGHT (Moon Laser Instrumentation for General relativity High accuracy Tests) is a laser retroreflector developed as a collaboration primarily between the University of Maryland in the United States, and the Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics - National Laboratories of Frascati (INFN-LNF) to complement and expand on the Lunar Laser Ranging experiment started with the Apollo Program in 1969. For other uses, see Moonlight (disambiguation).

Moonlight & Mechanicals by Cindy Spencer Pape