For the first time, NASA has successfully beamed GPS signals to the Moon, marking a major advancement in space navigation. The Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE), part of the Blue Ghost mission, detected and tracked signals from Earth’s Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS). This achievement sets the stage for precise lunar navigation and supports NASA’s broader goal of establishing a permanent presence on the Moon through the Artemis program.
Unlike Earth, where GPS is embedded in daily life, the Moon has lacked a comparable navigation infrastructure. NASA’s Space Communications and Navigation (SCaN) program views LuGRE as a crucial step in adapting GPS for future lunar missions. Kevin Coggins, NASA’s SCaN manager, emphasized the importance of this breakthrough, stating that “this experiment demonstrates the feasibility of tracking GNSS signals at the Moon.”
LuGRE was deployed on March 2 aboard the Blue Ghost lander, a robotic spacecraft from Firefly Aerospace. From its touchdown point on the lunar surface, the receiver successfully locked onto GPS signals originating over 20,000 kilometers away. This capability addresses one of the biggest challenges in lunar exploration — navigation. At present, spacecraft depend on intricate calculations and continuous communication with ground-based tracking stations, which can be both time-consuming and resource-heavy. A lunar GPS-based system would greatly enhance the autonomy and accuracy of locating spacecraft, landers, and, eventually, astronauts.
By leveraging GNSS signals, LuGRE enables spacecraft to establish their position, velocity, and time more efficiently than current methods. This is critical for longer missions featuring rovers or infrastructure expansion. It also holds promise for human spaceflight, allowing astronauts to navigate without relying solely on Earth-based systems. Notably, LuGRE represents a joint effort between NASA and the Italian Space Agency (ISA), marking the first time an Italian-built technology has operated on the Moon.
The ultimate goal is to create a dedicated lunar GNSS network, reducing mission costs and boosting safety for future explorers. Such infrastructure would serve as a key element of NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the Moon by 2027 and establish a sustainable foothold for eventual journeys to Mars. Over the next 14 days, NASA will evaluate how effectively LuGRE maintains GNSS signals across roughly 360,000 kilometers of distance, using the data to refine future lunar navigation systems.
Joel Parker, a flight dynamics engineer at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, underscored the broader vision by explaining that “the goal is to enable more efficient and frequent lunar missions, benefiting all spacefaring nations.” Indeed, the ability to receive GPS signals on the Moon signals the dawn of a more independent and dependable era of space travel — one that reduces reliance on Earth-based tracking and empowers lunar explorers to venture forward with greater confidence.