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IBM and NASA Release Open Lunar Foundation Model

By Drooid · Sep 11, 2026, 9:15 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

IBM NASA Unveils

IBM and NASA unveiled an open-source Lunar Foundation Model on Hugging Face.
The model was trained on more than 30 aligned data layers from nine instruments across four missions.
Benchmark tests show up to 23 % higher accuracy than SwinV2-B for ice, crater and volcanic mapping.
The release provides the first publicly available co-registered lunar dataset with millions of multi-modal tiles.

Summary

NASA Launches GRAIL

NASA launched the twin GRAIL spacecraft to map the Moon’s gravity.
The launch occurred on Sept. 10, 2011 from Cape Canaveral aboard a Delta II rocket.
The probes, Ebb and Flow, entered lunar orbit about four months later.
The spacecraft flew as low as 30 miles (50 km) and maintained a separation of 109–140 miles.
Co-investigator Jay Melosh said GRAIL data confirm mascons formed from large impacts on a hotter early Moon.

History

Historical Context

NASA’s Apollo 11 landed on July 20 1969, putting 12 astronauts on the Moon and proving human lunar capability. Decades later, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, launched in 2009, supplied high-resolution images that mapped craters and ice. IBM’s 2024 open-source Lunar Foundation Model aims to improve crater-ice classification for future Artemis lunar landings.

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IBM NASA Unveils

IBM and NASA unveiled an open-source Lunar Foundation Model on Hugging Face.
The model was trained on more than 30 aligned data layers from nine instruments across four missions.
Benchmark tests show up to 23 % higher accuracy than SwinV2-B for ice, crater and volcanic mapping.
The release provides the first publicly available co-registered lunar dataset with millions of multi-modal tiles.

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