Artist depiction of the lunar surface observatory, ILO-1. Credit: ILOA
A Big Island-based nonprofit is planning to advance Hawaiʻi’s role in astronomy in a groundbreaking way. The International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA)—established in 2007 and located in Waimea—intends to place a permanent, low-cost observatory on the Moon to conduct long-term astronomical studies.
If all goes to plan, the observatory spacecraft, called ILO-1, will land on the summit of Mons Mouton—a nearly 4-mile-high mountain near the Moon’s south pole. ILO-1 will conduct years-long studies of the lunar sky and return the data to Earth where scientists and the public alike will have a new perspective of the stars.
The ILO-1 mission is being developed through a partnership with Canadensys Aerospace. ILOA is currently in talks with Houston-based Intuitive Machines to secure a launch to the Moon in late 2027.
ILOA’s first payload, ILO-X, an advanced wide-field lunar camera, landed on the Moon on Feb. 22, 2024 via Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 mission—the first commercial lunar landing.