Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter

NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) will gather data to prepare for future manned missions to the Moon. The development of a Lunar base is the first step in NASA's plans for an eventual manned mission to Mars.   LRO will measure radiation levels in Lunar orbit, make detailed visual and temperature maps of the surface, look for water-ice near the surface, and study the light-levels at the poles.

UK Involvement

Oxford University is working on a radiometer for the LRO, called Diviner, which will gather detailed information on the temperature of the Moon's surface and subsurface.

Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Links

LRO mission homepage

Juno

The Juno mission to Jupiter will build on discoveries made by the Galileo mission, which ended in 2003. Juno will study the composition of Jupiter's atmosphere, study weather systems, determine whether Jupiter has an ice-rock core, investigate the origin of the Jovian magnetic field, and explore the planet's magnetosphere in polar regions.

UK Involvement

Scientists from the University of Leicester and University College London will work on analysing data sent back by the Juno mission.

Juno Links

NASA Space Science future missions page

ExoMars

ExoMars is the first mission in the European Space Agency's Aurora programme, Europe's long-term plan for exploring Mars. ExoMars, which includes an orbiter and a lander/rover, will search for traces of past and present life on Mars and gather information the Martian environment in preparation for future missions.

UK Involvement

UK scientists are involved in defining the ExoMars mission concept. The UK is contributing scientific and industrial expertise learned in the development of the Beagle 2 lander.

ExoMars Links

ESA's ExoMars page

BepiColombo

BepiColombo is the European Space Agency's first mission to Mercury. The mission is being developed in co-operation with Japan's space agency. BepiColombo will study Mercury's structure, geology, composition, cratering and magnetic environment. It will investigate the origin of Mercury's magnetic field and study the composition and dynamics of Mercury's faint atmosphere (exosphere).

The mission will study how Mercury's formation and evolution has been affected by its proximity to the Sun. BepiColombo will also take detailed measurements of Mercury's orbit around the Sun in order to test Einstein's theory of general relativity.

UK Involvement

Scientists from the University of Leicester, CCLRC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, the University of Lancaster, the Open University, UCL's Mullard Space Science Laboratory are involved in the BepiColombo mission. QinetiQ is involved in developing the solar electric propulsion module for Bepicolombo

BepiColombo Links

BepiColombo mission homepage