International Lunar Observatory

The ILO-1 mission, originally planned to be launched in 2008,[12] was initially scheduled to be launched in July 2020 with an Electron rocket from New Zealand.[13] The mission was called Moon Express Lunar Scout, and it would have used the MX-1E lander to deliver the observatory on top of the Malapert Mountain, a 5 km tall peak in the Aitken Basin region that has an uninterrupted direct line of sight to Earth, which facilitates communications any time.[8][14] The status of these plans is currently (March 2020) unknown, as the launch of the MX-1E lander with an Electron rocket was cancelled sometime before February 2020; no launch date or launch rocket for the MX-1E has been since announced, leaving the status of it and ILO-1 unknown.[15]

The small robotic observatory is designed to withstand the long lunar nights so it is expected to operate for a few years.[14] Moon Express would have also utilized the mission to explore the Moon's South Pole for mineral resources including water ice.[8][5] The optical portion of the system is a Schmidt–Cassegrain telescope.[16] The optical system uses a 7 cm diameter lens, with an 18 cm focal plane, a 13 cm f/5.6 aperture,[5][17] and 6.4-megapixel resolution.[2] The telescope system is "about the size of a shoe-box" with a mass of approximately 2 kg.[2][5]

Some partners include the National Astronomical Observatory of China (NAOC), Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the newly formed Southeast Asia Principal Operating Partnership, and others.[3][18]

The mission's objective is to conduct astrophysical observations from the surface of the Moon, whose lack of atmosphere eliminates much of the need for costly adaptive optics technology.[19] Also, since the Moon's days (about fourteen Earth days) have a dark sky, it allows for nonstop astronomical observations.[19] Disadvantages include micrometeorite impacts, cosmic and solar radiation, lunar dust, and temperature shifts as large as 350° Celsius.[19] The mission aims to acquire images of galaxies, stars, planets, the Moon and Earth. The project will promote commercial access to the telescope use to schools, scientists and the public at large through the Internet.[2]

Other two unrelated secondary payloads on the lander are a Celestis memorial,[20] and a lunar laser ranging experiment called MoonLIGHT.[21]

• List of artificial objects on the Moon
• List of missions to the Moon
• Lunar Ultraviolet Cosmic Imager, a proposed lunar-based telescope

• ILO-1 at Canadyensis Aerospace
• Photo of the telescope.
• History of Lunar-Based Astronomy at Space Age Publishing Co.