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NASA selects GIMLI mission to explore Moon's Marius Hills Pit for lava tube

NASA selects GIMLI mission to explore Moon's Marius Hills Pit for lava tube

New Capabilities

Radar, seismic and gravity instruments will search for a cave beneath the lunar surface

October 19th, 2026: GIMLI deputy PI says pit may not be a lava tube entrance

Overview

Updated Oct 24

NASA named GIMLI on 30 September 2026 as one of three instrument suites funded through PRISM, its program for putting science payloads on commercial lunar landers. The mission will carry ground-penetrating radar, seismic sensors, a gravimeter and cameras to the Marius Hills Pit, a 65-by-90-meter opening in lunar volcanic terrain. No launch date or lander company has been announced.

Gareth Morgan, the mission's deputy principal investigator, cautioned that the pit's overhanging walls show a void wider than the opening but do not prove a lava tube. Published depth estimates range from about 34 meters to about 60 meters. A confirmed tube would give astronauts shelter from radiation and extreme temperature swings; 2022 modelling put shaded pit floors near 17°C.

Why it matters

A confirmed lunar lava tube would give future missions a natural, pre-built shelter and shift the economics of Moon base planning.

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Key Indicators

65
Marius Hills Pit width (meters)
The opening GIMLI will investigate.
4
Geophysical instrument types in GIMLI
Radar, seismic, gravity, and cameras.
First since Apollo 17 (1972)
Surface seismic survey
GIMLI marks the first lunar surface seismic survey since Apollo.
34-60
Pit depth (meters)
Estimates disagree: about 34 meters (NASA), 40 meters (Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera team, 2017) and about 60 meters (principal investigator Than Putzig).
17
Modelled temperature in shaded pit areas (°C)
2022 Diviner data and modelling put shaded spots in some lunar pits near 17°C. Shielding inside the Marius Hills Pit has not been measured on site.

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People Involved

TP
Than Putzig
Principal Investigator, GIMLI; Associate Director and Senior Scientist at Planetary Science Institute
Leading the GIMLI mission development
 Gareth Morgan
Gareth Morgan
Deputy Principal Investigator, GIMLI; Senior Scientist at Planetary Science Institute
Co-leading GIMLI science operations

Organizations Involved

PR
NASA PRISM Program
NASA science program
Funding GIMLI mission

PRISM sends scientific instruments to the lunar surface via commercial lunar landers.
Planetary Science Institute
Planetary Science Institute
Research nonprofit
Leading GIMLI science

PSI conducts planetary science research and leads mission investigations.
HR
Honeybee Robotics
Space technology company
Building GIMLI's instrumentation

Honeybee builds robotic and instrument systems for space missions.
Norwegian Space Agency
Norwegian Space Agency
Government agency
Science partner for GIMLI

The Norwegian Space Agency collaborates on planetary science missions.

Timeline

2009 October 2026

3 events Latest: October 19th, 2026 · 3 weeks ago

  1. GIMLI deputy PI says pit may not be a lava tube entrance

    Latest Statement

    Gareth Morgan told Space Daily that orbiter images show an overhang above a void wider than the pit, but that the pit could be an isolated volcanic-tectonic shaft rather than a lava tube skylight. He said GIMLI is designed to tell the two apart.

  2. NASA selects GIMLI mission through PRISM

    Selection

    NASA named GIMLI as one of three payload suites chosen under PRISM for its Moon Base effort, to fly on a commercial lander through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. No launch date and no lander vendor were named.

  3. Kaguya spacecraft finds lunar pits

    Discovery

    Japan's Kaguya mission spotted dozens of pits on the Moon, including the Marius Hills Pit, hinting at underground caves.

Scenarios

1

GIMLI Confirms Lava Tube Beneath Marius Hills Pit

Possible Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: NASA, Planetary Science Institute, space exploration analysts

If GIMLI's radar, seismic and gravity data agree on a subsurface void extending from the pit, the mission will have confirmed a large lunar lava tube. Such a find would open studies of lunar volcanism and make the cave a prime candidate for future astronaut shelter.

2

GIMLI Finds No Cave, But Explains Pit Formation

Likely Resolves by End of 2028

Discussed by: Planetary Science Institute geologists

A null result would still be scientifically valuable. The radar, seismic and gravity data would constrain the pit's internal structure and reveal how it formed, helping scientists interpret other pits on the Moon and across the solar system.

Historical Context

2 moments from history that rhyme with this story — and how they unfolded.

December 1972

Apollo 17 Seismic Experiments (1972)

Apollo 17 astronauts placed the last seismic instruments on the lunar surface as part of a network of geophones. The experiments measured moonquakes and meteorite impacts, giving the first direct look at the Moon's internal structure.

Then

Data revealed the Moon has a thin crust and a partially molten core.

Now

No surface seismic survey has been conducted since; GIMLI would be the first.

Why this matters now

GIMLI's seismic package will mark the first lunar surface seismic measurement in more than half a century, offering a modern view of subsurface structures.

2009

Kaguya Discovers Lunar Pits (2009)

Japan's Kaguya spacecraft imaged vertical pits on the Moon, including the Marius Hills Pit, with openings up to 90 meters across. The pits were interpreted as possible skylights into lava tubes.

Then

The discovery sparked debate about whether lunar caves could serve as shelters.

Now

It provided the target for GIMLI and other planned cave-exploration missions.

Why this matters now

GIMLI will be the first mission to directly investigate one of these pits from the surface.

Sources

(9)
+3
ScienceDaily Planetary Science Institute Phys.org EurekAlert! Tech Times Particle American Almanac Space Daily ScienceDaily