NASA researchers have captured signals from space using a radio telescope on the moon's surface. This marks the first case of radio astronomical observation conducted from the moon and is seen as a significant achievement signaling the start of a new observational era aimed at uncovering the secrets of the early universe.
Last year, private space company Intuitive Machines equipped its lunar exploration spacecraft "Odysseus" with the radio telescope "ROLSES-1" provided by NASA. Although Odysseus became the first privately owned spacecraft to successfully land on the moon, it tipped over due to the impact, causing many of its instruments to malfunction. However, ROLSES-1 survived unscathed and was able to secure observation time.
The ROLSES-1 radio telescope consists of four spring-type antennas, each measuring 2.5 meters in length. Two were accidentally deployed before Odysseus landed, while the remaining two were deployed remotely after the landing. These four antennas successfully captured radio signals from Earth and space within just a few hours.
One interesting discovery is that radio signals emitted from Earth appear to sparkle when viewed from a distance. This is due to the refraction of radio waves in the upper atmosphere, and if a similar phenomenon occurs on exoplanets, it could provide clues for tracking extraterrestrial civilizations.
This equipment also detected radio waves resulting from high-energy particles emanating from powerful cosmic phenomena such as supernova explosions and black holes interacting with the galaxy's magnetic field. The researchers attempted to observe radio waves from the sun and Jupiter, but unfortunately missed the opportunity as power was depleted. Joshua Heberd, a researcher at the University of Colorado, noted, "The power went out just one minute before we could detect the explosive signals from the sun," adding, "It was a truly unfortunate moment."
Although this time the success of ROLSES-1 was limited in its observations, it holds significant meaning as the first case of using a radio telescope on the moon. In the past, China's unmanned lunar probe Chang'e-4 made a similar attempt, but it ended in failure due to noise generated by the lander itself.
NASA plans to deploy more radio telescopes on the moon in the future. The far side of the moon is completely shielded from Earth's radio interference, allowing for the capture of faint radio signals that contain information from the early universe. This year, starting with LuSEE-Lite (Lunar Surface Electromagnetic Experiment), NASA plans to launch LuSEE-Night and ROLSES-2 in succession in 2026. Furthermore, there are plans to construct a massive radio telescope utilizing the craters of the moon.
Stuart Veil, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley, stated, "The early universe was just expanding gas, and if we could capture that trace, it would provide crucial clues to understanding the energy structure of dark matter before the formation of stars."
The results of this study were published on the preprint paper repository "arXiv" on the 12th.
References
arXiv(2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2503.09842