The quest for sustainable human presence on the Moon is advancing with Blue Origin’s newly proposed mission, Oasis-1. Announced at the 2026 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC), this mission aims to gather detailed prospecting data on the water ice located in the Moon’s Permanently Shadowed Regions (PSRs).
Mission Overview
Oasis-1 will consist of two small satellites, or SmallSats, deployed from Blue Origin’s uncrewed MK1 lander. The satellites will enter a highly elliptical orbit around the Moon, with parameters of 10 x 50 km. Their periapsis will skim closely over the lunar South Pole, allowing for detailed data collection.
Scientific Instruments
Each satellite will be equipped with a suite of three specialized instruments designed for deep prospecting. The first is a Hybrid Gamma-Ray and Neutron Spectrometer (GRNS), which will locate water ice by employing neutron spectroscopy. This technique can quantify water content down to a depth of approximately one meter, although its resolution is limited at high altitudes. The low-altitude flybys of Oasis-1 aim to achieve a resolution of around 15 km per pixel, significantly improving upon current global datasets.
The second instrument, a magnetometer, will map crustal magnetic anomalies with a resolution of 15-30 km per pixel. This data may provide insights into the distribution of valuable platinum group metals. Additionally, Oasis-1 will utilize a multispectral pushbroom spectrometer to search for the rare isotope helium-3, with a high resolution of less than 5 m per pixel.
Mission Phases and Data Sharing
The mission will unfold over a 90-day global mapping phase, followed by a 10-day controlled deorbit phase, where the satellites will gather ultra-low altitude data on water deposits at a resolution of hundreds of meters per pixel before impacting the lunar surface.
Blue Origin plans to license the resource maps generated by Oasis-1 to commercial entities, aiding in the development of lunar in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) technologies. Any non-commercially relevant data will be made publicly available through an agreement with the European Space Resource Innovation Centre (ESRIC).
Oasis-1 marks the first phase of Blue Origin’s broader Oasis Campaign, which will eventually include surface mobility systems and extraction operations. The mission is anticipated to launch in late 2027 or early 2028, representing a significant step toward establishing a sustainable human presence on the Moon.
This article was produced by NeonPulse.today using human and AI-assisted editorial processes, based on publicly available information. Content may be edited for clarity and style.
Original source: universetoday.com
