MoonRise

MoonRise is a robotic mission concept to the south pole of the Moon. It was proposed in 2017 for NASA's New Frontiers program mission 4, but it was not selected. If funded and launched by another NASA opportunity, it would focus on the giant South Pole–Aitken basin (SPA basin) on the far side of the Moon between the Moon's South Pole and Aitken Crater, 16° south of the Moon's equator. This basin measures nearly in diameter and in depth. This region is the oldest and deepest observable impact basin on the Moon and provides a window into the deep crust of the Moon and its history as a result. The basin is also among the largest recognized impact structures in the Solar System. MoonRise was not selected for the third New Frontiers program mission 3, losing out to the OSIRIS-REx asteroid sample return mission, and it lost again in the 2017 competition for New Frontiers program mission 4. Science objectives MoonRise has the following objectives: Determine the impact chronology of the SPA basin Investigate processes associated with the formation of large impact basins Investigate the materials excavated from the deeper crust, and possibly the mantle, of the Moon within the SPA basin Determine rock types, distribution of thorium, and implications for the Moon's thermal evolution Sample and analyze basaltic rock and volcanic glass, which record the composition and chemical evolution of the Moon's far-side mantle beneath the SPA basin