UTEP professor helping NASA prepare for 2027 moon landing

EL PASO, Texas (KVIA) -- UTEP Professor Jose Hurtado, Ph.D., is part of a team of scientists that is mapping the moon ahead of a planned 2027 lunar landing.

NASA is planning to land two astronauts on the moon's south pole. currently, a high-quality, modern map of the south pole does not exist. Hurtado's team, working for the Lunar Mapping Program, will be responsible for creating the new geologic map.

Hurtado says that learning more about the south pole could answer questions about the moon's origin, water resources, and the evolution of its surface. The map is expected to be completed later this year. UTEP says, however, that Hurtado's involvement in the mission will not end there.

"Scheduled for launch in early 2026, Artemis II will send a crew of astronauts around the moon," UTEP officials explained. "Hurtado is assisting with mission simulations at the NASA Johnson Space Center between now and the launch. During the mission itself, Hurtado will work in NASA’s Science Evaluation Room and help provide real-time communications and feedback to astronauts, which can maximize scientific return during the short mission."