On January 14, 2025, NASA announced the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE), a groundbreaking technology demonstration aimed at enhancing navigation and positioning for lunar exploration. This joint effort with the Italian Space Agency will test the feasibility of using existing Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals from U.S. GPS and EU Galileo satellites.
LuGRE will be delivered to the moon as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, where it will acquire and track GNSS signals during transit, lunar orbit, and for up to two weeks on the lunar surface. This marks one of the first demonstrations of GNSS signal reception on and around the moon, potentially reducing reliance on Earth-based navigation systems.
If successful, LuGRE could significantly advance lunar navigation technology, following the record set by the Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) mission, which acquired GPS signals from nearly half the distance to the moon. The data collected by LuGRE will be made publicly available six months after its operations, allowing broader access to lunar GNSS research.
NASA aims to enable more efficient lunar missions through international collaboration, with LuGRE serving as a stepping stone towards a sustainable lunar economy and improved navigation for future space exploration.