Space Luisa Fernanda
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Wednesday, October 7, 2026 · UTC
Missions & Exploration

NASA selects GIMLI mission to investigate lunar Marius Hill lava tube

Announced 5 October 2026, the mission will deploy ground penetrating radar at the Moon pit site.

Caleb Mbeki
Planetary Science Reporter
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NASA mission to explore lunar lava tube begins
NASA mission to explore lunar lava tube begins AI illustrationhow this picture was made
NASA has selected the Geophysical Instruments for Marius Lunar pit Investigation proposal, known as GIMLI, to examine a potential lava tube extending from the Marius Hill Pit on the Moon.[1] The mission is led by the Planetary Science Institute. Co-investigators are drawn from four universities and research institutes, with the Norwegian Space Agency providing the mission's ground-penetrating radar.[2] GIMLI will be flown under NASA's PRISM program, part of the agency's Commercial Lunar Payloads Services initiative.[3] Mission planning has used surface mapping data collected by NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter since 2009.[4]
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What this stands on
  1. NASA selected the Geophysical Instruments for Marius Lunar pit Investigation (GIMLI) proposal led by the Planetary Science Institute (PSI) to investigate a potential lava tube extending from the Marius Hill Pit on the Moon. · ScienceDaily
  2. The GIMLI team includes Co-Investigators from Boise State University, Johns Hopkins University, the Lunar and Planetary Institute, and the University of Oslo, with the Norwegian Space Agency providing the ground-penetrating radar. · ScienceDaily
  3. The mission is funded through NASA's Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM) program under the Commercial Lunar Payloads Services (CLPS) initiative. · ScienceDaily
  4. The model was trained primarily on observations from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, which has mapped most of the Moon in detail since 2009. · ColombiaOne: News from Colombia and the World
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