Lunar Station Corp. uses data collected by NASA over approximately 60 years to help commercial space companies plan missions aimed at studying and utilizing the Moon’s resources. The data includes images and measurements from satellites, rovers, and historical sources, which are integrated into computer models to analyze the nature of lunar sites.
The lunar environment has potential resources such as water and iron and titanium minerals, but extracting and processing them requires specialized equipment. Therefore, knowing where these resources are located and the characteristics of the surrounding terrain can affect the selection of landing sites, the design of mining operations, and the determination of suitable routes for rovers.
From Disparate Data to Three-Dimensional Models
Blair DeWitt, CEO of Lunar Station, said the company helps its clients understand environmental factors at any potential site on the Moon by relying on decades of lunar data. The first step is collecting data from different sensors operated by NASA and other space agencies and integrating it into unified models.
Among the NASA tools the company has used to build terrain maps is Ames Stereo Pipeline, open-source software that automatically processes images to create a three-dimensional model showing features such as surface elevations and rock distribution. The images can come from satellites, rovers, historical photographs, and other sources.
Searching for Indicators of Lunar Water
Knowledge of the locations of lunar water that is accessible in the field remains limited. In 2009, the Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite mission, known as LCROSS, was designed to crash its upper stage into an area near the Moon’s south pole. Analysis of the resulting plume showed the presence of water ice.
Lunar Station builds on these and other findings through the MoonHacker program, which combines NASA’s Planetary Data System data with the company’s proprietary geospatial analysis platform and advanced algorithms. The program aims to identify indicators that may point to the presence of shallow water pockets beneath the lunar surface.
What Changes in Practice for Commercial Missions?
The company says MoonHacker analyses can help determine landing-platform locations, select the best routes for rovers, and plan communications. In polar regions or on the far side of the Moon, a direct line of sight with Earth may not be available, requiring a strategy based on communications relays.
The company also uses the MoonHacker’s Radiation Simulator to test a digital twin representing a rover or satellite. This allows the electronic model to be exposed to the radiation levels expected during the journey or at the mission site, with the aim of determining the amount of protection required for the vehicle.
These applications demonstrate how scientific exploration archives can be converted into practical tools for commercial space planning. They fall under NASA’s Technology Transfer Program, part of the agency’s Science and Technology Mission Directorate, which for 50 years has documented the benefits of space technologies and their everyday applications through the Spinoff publication.