UTEP Professor Headed to Houston Ahead of NASA Artemis II Mission

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) — A UTEP geology professor is leaving El Paso tomorrow for Houston to assist NASA with an upcoming Artemis mission.

Dr. Jose Hurtado has worked with NASA for more than a decade and recently received a grant to help map the Moon’s south pole. The research is designed to support future lunar missions by identifying surface composition and potential resources, including the possible presence of water in permanently shadowed craters.

The mapping work has not yet been publicly released, but it will be used to guide astronauts during future landings and exploration efforts.

Hurtado will be in Houston to support mission operations for Artemis II, which is expected to launch this. In addition to his NASA work, Hurtado is a geology professor at the University of Texas at El Paso and incorporates space-related research into his coursework.

UTEP has a long history of collaboration with NASA on research initiatives connected to space exploration.