NovaMoon: A Strategic Lunar Reference Station for Positioning, Timing, and Largely Enhanced Science in the Earth-Moon System

Abstract

The renewed interest in lunar exploration and the development of future lunar communication and navigation services highlight the need for a precise, stable, and interoperable geodetic and timing infrastructure on the Moon. NovaMoon, proposed as a scientific and navigation payload for ESA’s Argonaut lander, is designed as a lunar-based local differential, geodetic, and timing station supporting both the operational needs of the Moon’s south polar region and a broad range of scientific investigations. The payload integrates a lunar laser retroreflector, a Very Long Baseline Interferometry transmitter, a receiver for lunar navigation signals compatible with LunaNet standards, high-stability atomic clocks, and direct-to-Earth radio links, making it the first lunar station to co-locate multiple ranging, tracking, and timing techniques.

NovaMoon will enable sub-metre- to decimetre-level positioning in the south polar region, provide local differential corrections for lunar navigation users, and ensure an accurate and stable realisation of position and time for the lander. Through preliminary simulation studies, we show that the resulting multi-technique dataset significantly improves the lunar reference frame, the determination of lunar orientation and ephemerides, and the estimation of interior parameters such as tidal response, core properties, and dissipation.

NovaMoon will also provide the first long-duration physical realisation of a lunar time reference, enabling precise timing for lunar navigation users and contributing to the establishment of a future lunar timescale.

Beyond its primary goals, NovaMoon supports improved cartography, more accurate geolocation of surface features, and higher-resolution topography in the south polar region, contributing to safer and more precise landing and surface operations. Its multi-technique measurements also open new opportunities for fundamental physics, including enhanced tests of the Equivalence Principle, improved constraints on relativistic gravity, and increased sensitivity to deviations from classical gravitational models or potential variations in fundamental constants.