Calibration and Performance of the High Resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM 3 ) on Lunar Trailblazer

Journal article

Plain Language Summary: We present laboratory tests of a new instrument, the High‐resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper ( H V M 3 ${\mathrm{H}\mathrm{V}\mathrm{M}}^{3}$ ). H V M 3 ${\mathrm{H}\mathrm{V}\mathrm{M}}^{3}$ will launch onboard the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Lunar Trailblazer mission. It is an imaging spectrometer that will measure the spectrum of reflected sunlight in visible and infrared wavelengths for every pixel of an image. Scientists will interpret these spectra with the goal of measuring how water and ice are distributed across the lunar surface. Our laboratory tests indicate that the instrument is sensitive enough to measure small changes in the content of water on the lunar surface. We find the instrument capable of measuring areas of the Moon that are in permanent shadow using light reflected from neighboring surfaces like crater walls.

Authors: Thompson, DR; Ehlmann, BL; Green, RO; Allen, GD; Bender, H

• Publication status: Published
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Wiley
• Journal: Earth and Space Science
• Volume: 13
• Issue: 5
• Article number: e2025EA004456
• Publication date: 2026-05-07
• Acceptance date: 2025-08-29
• DOI: 10.1029/2025ea004456
• EISSN: 2333-5084
• ISSN: 2333-5084
• Language: English
• Keywords: Lunar Trailblazer; imaging spectroscopy; lunar volatiles