This NASA-funded 'Slingshot' spacecraft idea could map minerals on planets and moons across our solar system

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 16:43:01 +0000

NASA funded an early-stage concept aiming to show new techniques for mapping minerals on the moon, asteroids or Martian moons. Nearby Earth, an iconic series of orbiting U.S. government satellites called Landsat have collectively been charting minerals and climate change for more than 50 years. What if we can do the same thing in space? A new NASA early-stage project, whimsically named "Interworld Slingshot Resource Surveys", aims to bring "Landsat-style mineral intelligence" to other worlds, including the moon. NASA is aiming to put a moon base on the lunar surface in the 2030s that would be staffed by astronauts, as the U.S. tries to secure access to helium-3 and other minerals on the surface ahead of China. Being able to scout for minerals ahead of landing and setting up a base would be a huge boon for the United States' lunar ambitions.

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This NASA-funded 'Slingshot' spacecraft idea could map minerals on planets and moons across our solar system