According to the latest news, NASA has successfully received and tracked GPS signals on the Moon for the first time. This is a major breakthrough in lunar navigation as it made the possibility of getting GPS signals on the Moon a reality. This mission was possible thanks to the Lunar GNSS Reciever Experiment (LuGRE) conducted by NASA and the Italian Space Agency.
This experiment’s success opens up the potential for enhanced autonomous navigation and mission precision on future lunar missions, especially under the Artemis program. The ability to now use GPS signals on the Moon significantly improved the accuracy of lunar navigation systems.
Also, it provides new possibilities for future lunar missions with precise positioning capabilities. This article will further discuss how NASA successfully captured GPS signals on the Moon. So, keep reading to learn more.Â?
Is NASA managing to successfully capture GPS signals on the moon?
NASA successfully tracked GPS signals on the Moon using the LuGRE payload and this achievement is a major step forward for lunar navigation. NASA and the Italian Space Agency made history on March 3, 2025, by becoming the first technology demonstration to acquire and track Earth-based navigation signals on the Moon’s surface using the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE).
This experiment also enables more accurate positioning for future Artemis missions, which marks a stepping stone to advanced navigation systems and services for the Moon and Mars. On Earth, GNSS signals can be used to navigate in everything from smartphones to airplanes and now LuGRE shows that we can successfully capture and track GNSS signals on the Moon, too. This exciting discovery leverages its capability for future missions.
This experiment began on March 2 when Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander touched down on the Moon and delivered LuGRE, which is one of the 10 NASA payloads to advance lunar science. LuGRE payload operators at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland conducted their first science operation on the lunar surface, soon after landing on the Moon.
As the receiver data flowed in, the expectations were getting bigger, and then on March 3, it was official. Finally, LuGRE managed to acquire and track signals on the lunar surface for the first time ever and achieve a navigation fix that too, around 225,000 miles away from Earth.
More about the mission
Currently, the Blue Ghost is on the Moon and plans to operate for 14 days until the mission is completed. It is expected to provide NASA and the Italian Space Agency the opportunity to collect data in a near-continuous mode, helping achieve other GNSS milestones. Along with making history, LuGRE happens to be the first Italian Space Agency-developed hardware on the Moon, breaking GNSS records.
Also, in January 2021, it was recorded that LuGRE surpassed the highest altitude GNSS signal acquisition ever recorded at 209,900 miles from Earth. As of February 20, the altitude record continued to go up, reaching lunar orbit 243,000 miles from Earth. Usually, NASA tracks the spacecraft using a combination of measurements like onboard sensors and signals from Earth-based tracking stations.
However, the LuGRE payload showed that using GNSS signals for navigation potentially reduces reliance on human operators as these signals can be captured and used autonomously by the spacecraft, no matter the distance. This achievement offers greater accuracy and safety, and with continued testing and eventual operational missions, this technology can even transform space travel in the future.
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Conclusion
NASA and the Italian Space Agency managed to acquire GPS and GNSS signals on the Moon through a receiver called Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander. This breakthrough indicates that signals from the GNSS can be received and tracked on the Moon. It promises enhanced navigation for future lunar and deep-space missions and explorations, including Artemis.
This discovery offers benefits like accurately and autonomously determining position, velocity, and time. It was on March 3, 2025, that NASA and the Italian Space Agency made history with the Lunar GNSS Reciever Experiment (LuGRE). It further opens up possibilities for future lunar missions.
Also, it is important to note that LuGRE broke the records even before landing on the Moon. Even though the GPS signals can be received on the Moon, the quality of the signal may vary depending on the lunar terrain and position of Earth relative to the Moon.
