Calibration and Performance of the High Resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM <sup>3</sup> ) on Lunar Trailblazer
Abstract This article reports on the initial calibration and performance of the High‐resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (), slated for launch on the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's Lunar Trailblazer mission. is an imaging spectrometer measuring from 600 to 3,600 nm with 10‐nm spectral sampling and 50–90 m/pixel ground sampling. The mission goal is to understand the form, abundance, and distribution of water across the lunar surface and the lunar water cycle, accomplished by measuring the distinct absorptions of water ice, adsorbed O, and OH/hydroxl while controlling for thermal effects with . also has the ability to measure mineralogical composition. has been assembled, tested and calibrated in preparation for launch and integrated on the Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft. We review the design, calibration process, results, and implications for Lunar Trailblazer science goals. We find ’s radiometric sensitivity is sufficient to confidently measure 1% differences in absorption band strengths under direct solar illumination in single pixel data. In addition, has the radiometric precision to discriminate different species of volatile absorptions at irradiances of 1 W , which will enable mapping and discriminating water ice or other volatiles within most of the Moon's Permanently Shadowed Regions using terrain‐scattered illumination.
Authors
- Angela M. Dapremont (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0343-7382)
- Kierra Wilk
- Elena Scire (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1468-5357)
- Christopher Hummel
- Emily Felder
- J. Rodríguez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7153-7743)
- Vritika Singh
- Klima Rachel L.
- Quentin Vinckier
- Elise Furlan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9800-6248)
- Djuna Copley-Woods
- Shriya Nadgauda
- Bradley Moore
- Garni Gharibian
- Peter Sullivan
- Gregory D. Allen
- Jared Keller
- Kerri L. Donaldson Hanna
- Christopher S. Edwards
- Christopher Haberle
- Holly Bender
- Ian McKinley
- Carle Pieters (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1671-8415)
- Charles Sarture
- Bethany L. Ehlmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2745-3240)
- Michael Eastwood
- Jasper Miura (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2672-2605)
- Shannon Kian G. Zareh
- Calina Seybold
- Robert O. Green (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9447-3076)
- Pantazis Mouroulis
- Michael Sondheim
- Neil Bowles
- Christopher Smith
- Mark Helmlinger
- Walton Williamson
- Andrew Klesh
- Martha House
- David R. Thompson (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1100-7550)
Institutions
- University of Central Florida (US)
- Pasadena City College (US)
- California Institute of Technology (US)
- Jet Propulsion Laboratory (US)
- University of California, Los Angeles (US)
- Northern Arizona University (US)
- Brown University (US)
- Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (US)
- National Ecological Observatory Network (US)
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Sierra Lobo (United States) (US)
- Science Oxford (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Earth and Space Science
- Published
- 2026-05-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1029/2025ea004456
- Citations
- 3
- Primary Topic
- Planetary Science and Exploration
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 42.00