On January 15, 2025, the LuGRE (Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment) mission commenced its journey from Kennedy Space Center, marking a significant advancement in lunar exploration. This initiative, developed by the Italian Space Agency (ASI) in collaboration with NASA, aims to enhance satellite navigation capabilities on the Moon.
Launched aboard the private lander Blue Ghost from Firefly, LuGRE is a next-generation satellite navigation receiver designed by the Italian company Qascom, with scientific support from the Polytechnic University of Turin. The mission's primary goal is to receive GPS and Galileo signals from Earth to the Moon, testing advanced technologies essential for future lunar missions and deep space exploration.
The Blue Ghost lander is expected to place LuGRE into lunar orbit within approximately one month, aiming for a landing on the Moon in early March. Utilizing innovative Software Defined Radio Receiver technology, LuGRE will enable precise spatial positioning, paving the way for future permanent lunar missions.
This mission plays a crucial role in the preparatory operations of the Artemis program, which seeks to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon and eventually conduct missions to Mars.