High angular resolution ENA imaging of the Moon surface onboard the Turkish lunar mission

Energetic Neutral Atom (ENA) imaging of the Moon using backscattered and sputtered neutrals is a unique technique for studying lunar mini-magnetospheres. Due to their small size, these structures cannot be effectively studied from typical lunar orbiter altitudes of about 100 km. In situ investigations on the surface require complex mission elements such as landers and rovers. ENA imaging, however, provides instantaneous remote sensing of these structures directly from orbit. The ENA imager CENA (Chandrayaan-1 Energetic Neutral Analyzer) onboard the Chandrayaan-1 mission introduced this technique and revealed the large-scale morphology of lunar mini-magnetospheres. However, its angular resolution of 9° × 40° was insufficient for investigating the fine structures of mini-magnetospheres. The new generation of lunar ENA imagers, the Lunar Neutrals Telescope (LNT), achieves an angular resolution of 7° × 7° while maintaining a geometric factor comparable to that of CENA. LNT is scheduled to launch to the Moon onboard the first Turkish lunar mission in 2027 and is planned to operate for at least three months.

We describe the fundamentals of the ENA imaging technique for lunar studies, present the science objectives and basic performance of LNT, and discuss the expected scientific results. We anticipate exciting observations that will reveal previously unseen features of lunar mini-magnetospheres.