NASA's Artemis program is advancing with the launch of the Lunar Environment Heliospheric X-ray Imager (LEXI), which aims to capture the first global images of Earth's magnetic field. The telescope is currently en route to the Moon aboard Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander, launched on January 15, 2025, from Kennedy Space Center.
LEXI, developed by Boston University researchers, will land near Mons Latreille within Mare Crisium after a 45-day journey. Its mission is to collect images of X-rays emitted from the edges of Earth's magnetosphere, crucial for understanding how this protective boundary is influenced by solar activity.
Massimiliano Galeazzi, a University of Miami astrophysicist and key contributor to LEXI, emphasized the importance of this mission in studying space weather, which affects satellites and astronauts on lunar missions. LEXI is one of ten payloads on the Blue Ghost lander, part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.
The telescope's design incorporates innovative lobster-eye optics, originally tested in a 2012 sounding rocket mission. This mission represents a significant step in establishing a sustained human presence on the Moon and beyond, as articulated by NASA's deputy administrator Pam Melroy.
Scheduled for a soft landing on March 2, 2025, LEXI will operate for one lunar day, providing invaluable data for future explorations.