Story perspectives

Canada’s Ferguson leads NASA’s MINERAL lunar mapping mission

By Drooid · Sep 22, 2026, 10:08 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Canadian researcher Ferguson leads NASA's MINERAL mission to map lunar minerals and test navigation.
The mission will launch MAPPER CubeSat and MAPLE projectile via the Lunar Payload Services program.
Indigenous youth and elders will use traditional landmark wayfinding and thrusters for lunar navigation.
Magellan Aerospace’s Winnipeg division won a CSA contract to build the lunar resource package.
MAPPER will orbit 44 Earth days to six months before crashing.

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Story summary

Canadian researcher Ferguson leads NASA's MINERAL mission to map lunar minerals and test navigation.
The mission will launch MAPPER CubeSat and MAPLE projectile via the Lunar Payload Services program.
Indigenous youth and elders will use traditional landmark wayfinding and thrusters for lunar navigation.
Magellan Aerospace’s Winnipeg division won a CSA contract to build the lunar resource package.
MAPPER will orbit 44 Earth days to six months before crashing.