NASA is developing a fleet of four robotic drones (known as MoonFall) to survey the lunar south pole before any crewed missions arrive. The initiative is part of a broader overhaul of the agency’s Artemis program announced earlier this year. The drones are designed to photograph and map rough lunar terrain, helping mission planners identify viable landing sites and locations for future surface infrastructure.

A Scouting Mission Built on Mars Experience

The MoonFall project is being led by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, where engineers are drawing heavily on the technical knowledge accumulated through the Ingenuity helicopter, the robotic rotorcraft that completed 72 flights on Mars as part of the Perseverance rover mission.

Ray Baker, the project lead at JPL, described the approach as an extension of what Ingenuity demonstrated. “We get to stand on their shoulders,” Baker told Space.com. “We’re going to marry our success from Ingenuity, all that knowledge, all that skill and success, and couple that with an industry capability.”

Each of the four drones will carry a set of ten cameras and science instruments, bringing the total to 40 sensor packages deployed across the lunar south pole region. Imagery from each vehicle will be combined to produce a composite view of the moonscape, which planners intend to use when selecting landing sites for Artemis crews and positioning lunar base hardware. Baker said the target is for each drone to cover roughly 30 miles of terrain by the end of 2028.

Like Ingenuity, which relied on commercial off-the-shelf electronics comparable to those found in mobile phones, the MoonFall drones will incorporate hazard detection and avoidance systems. As each drone approaches a landing site, it will assess the local terrain independently and select the safest available spot.

Timeline and Industry Partnerships

The MoonFall initiative gained formal momentum on March 24, when NASA administrator Jared Isaacman announced it as part of what the agency called its “Ignition” event, a public presentation outlining a restructured path back to the moon. A Request for Proposals was issued the same day, and JPL is now moving to bring commercial partners on board.

According to Baker, the agency expects to have its primary industry partners selected by June of this year. Prototype hardware is already in development, with captive carry tests ( used to evaluate navigational and control sensors) planned for later in 2025. Spacecraft integration and testing is scheduled for late summer of 2027, with delivery to the launch site set for 2028.

One notable aspect of the mission design is that the drones will be released mid-descent above the moon rather than being delivered by a dedicated propulsive lander. Baker said this approach reduces both cost and mission risk, while allowing the project to take advantage of industry-provided systems for the transfer and braking stages, as well as drone propulsion. “As such, this mission fits well within the [NASA] administrator’s objectives of reducing costs for more shots on goal,” he said.

The cost of MoonFall has not yet been disclosed. According to Baker, NASA is still working out budgetary details, though he expressed confidence in the project’s feasibility. “It’s going to be fast-paced. We believe we can do it,” he said.

The specific landing site at the lunar south pole has not yet been selected. NASA has identified the region as a priority for Artemis operations, in part because of scientific interest in permanently shadowed craters that may contain water ice, a resource with potential implications for long-duration surface missions.