| Mission type | Lunar sample return |
|---|---|
| Operator | NASA / Jet Propulsion Laboratory |
| Start of mission | |
| Rocket | Atlas V 531 |
| Launch site | Cape CanaveralSLC-41 |
| Contractor | United Launch Alliance (for launch) |
MoonRise was a robotic mission concept to the south pole of theMoon. It was proposed in 2010 and 2017 forNASA'sNew Frontiers program mission 3 and 4, respectively, but it was not selected. If funded and launched by another NASA opportunity, it would focus on the giantSouth Pole–Aitken basin (SPA basin) on thefar side of the Moon between the Moon's South Pole and Aitken Crater, 16° south of the Moon's equator. This basin measures nearly 2,500 kilometres (1,600 mi) in diameter and 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) in depth. This region is the oldest and deepest observableimpact basin on the Moon and provides a window into the deepcrust of the Moon and its history as a result. The basin is also among the largest recognized impact structures in theSolar System.[1]
MoonRise was not selected for the third New Frontiers program mission 3, losing out to theOSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission,[2] and it lost again in the 2017 competition for New Frontiers program mission 4.[3] In February 2025, the recommended mission themes forNew Frontiers program mission 5 were revised, with the SPA basin lunar sample return concept proposed to no longer be eligible.[4]
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MoonRise has the following objectives:[1]
MoonRise received Phase A funding out of the New Frontiers program.[5] The study was one of three concepts to getUS$3.3 million funding in 2010 to further develop the mission for the final selection, which was aUS$650 million mission to launch in the late 2010s.[6] The three semi-finalists wereMoonRise, the OSIRIS-REx sample return mission, and theVenus In Situ Explorer mission.[6]
AlthoughMoonRise was passed over in favor of OSIRIS-REx in the 2011 selection, a South Pole–Aitken basin sample return mission had been part of the 2013–2022Planetary Science Decadal Survey's recommendation for potential New Frontiers mission 5,[7] and NASA'sPlanetary Science Division has expressed support for the Decadal Survey's recommendations.[8] In February 2025, given the aging of the 2013–2022 Decadal Survey, the recommended mission themes for the fifth New Frontiers mission were revised, with the SPA basin lunar sample return concept proposed to no longer be eligible.[4] The successor to the 2013–2022 Decadal Survey, the 2023–2032 Decadal Survey, continued to endorse the SPA sample return concept but recommended it be considered by NASA'sLunar Discovery and Exploration Program rather than New Frontiers.
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