Using a compact broadband IR spectrometer to search for lunar volatiles with a first generation deep space CubeSat

Lunar Ice Cube, a science requirements-driven deep space exploration 6U cubesat mission was select-ed for a NASA HEOMD NextSTEP slot on the EM1 launch. We are developing a compact broadband IR instrument for a high priority science application: un-derstanding volatile origin, distribution, and ongoing processes in the inner solar system. JPL’s Lunar Flash-light, and Arizona State University’s LunaH-Map, both also EM1 lunar orbiters, will provide complimentary observations to be used in understanding volatile dynamics on the Moon.