ShadowCam • Seeing in the Shadows

ShadowCam

About the Project(current)
Recent News(current)

©ShadowCam 2022 •
NASA • KARI • SESE

Nadir view of PSR Erlanger crater

ShadowCam

Seeing in the Shadows

T-6M:1d:16h:7m:26s

ShadowCam is based on the successful Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC) Narrow Angle Camera (NAC) and is approximately 200 times more sensitive than the current NAC, which will allow scientists to see into the permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) surrounding the Moon's poles.

Recent News

ShadowCam Installed Onboard KPLO Satellite

The ShadowCam instrument being lifted for mounting to the Korean Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter satellite at the Korean Aerospace Research Institute in Daejeon, Korea. Note the red cover at the top that protects the delicate radiator during ...

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Lunar south pole illumination map

What are PSRs?

Permanently Shadowed Regions

Permanently shadowed regions (PSRs) may be the most valuable real estate in the Solar System, with the potential for cold-trapped volatiles, which could provide essential resources to enable future exploration of the Moon and beyond.

Illustrated view of ShadowCam seeing in the shadowed portion of a PSR

The Mission

NASA, ASU, and KARI

NASA selected ShadowCam as a contribution to the Korea Aerospace Research Institute’s (KARI) first lunar exploration mission, Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter (KPLO). ShadowCam will address three of four Strategic Knowledge Gaps and join four other KARI-developed instruments onboard KPLO.