NASA is completing preparations for the launch of the Farside Seismic Suite, a set of two seismometers that will explore the far side of the Moon. These instruments, adapted for the lunar surface, were previously used on Mars, where they detected over 1300 marsquakes.
The seismometers, recently assembled at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, will arrive in 2026 at the Shroedinger crater near the South Pole of the Moon. These autonomous instruments are equipped with solar panels and a computer that will protect them from extreme temperatures.
Once delivered to the lunar surface, the seismometers will start collecting data on seismic activity, marking the first such study in the last 50 years. They are 30 times more sensitive than the instruments used in the Apollo program and will be able to detect even the slightest vibrations from micrometeorites.
© NASA