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NASA has selected an instrument payload called GIMLI to scan beneath the Moon’s Marius Hills Pit and test whether it connects to a large underground lava tube. The investigation is planned; NASA has not announced that a cave exists at this location.
What is NASA sending to the lunar pit?
NASA selected the Geophysical Instruments for Marius Lunar pit Investigation (GIMLI) through its Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM) program. Its planned task is to scan below the Marius Hills Pit and determine whether the pit leads into a large subsurface lava tube. GIMLI’s principal investigator is Dr. Nathaniel Putzig of the Planetary Science Institute.
NASA’s September 30, 2026 announcement, updated October 2 to correct the full names of GIMLI and DISCO, says the selected investigations are intended for surface delivery through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative as part of NASA’s Moon Base Program. The other selections are LEMS-SP, for long-term environmental and hazard monitoring, and DISCO, to measure ice in lunar micro-cold traps and study surface behavior. These are separate payloads, not components of GIMLI. NASA’s announcement of the investigations does not give GIMLI a launch date, a CLPS task order, or details of its sensing method, scan depth, or resolution.
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Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Is there a lava tube beneath the Marius Hills Pit?
That is the question GIMLI is meant to investigate—not a discovery NASA has already reported. A lava tube is thought to form when flowing molten lava develops a cooled crust over its surface; lava continues moving beneath the crust, and the emptied channel can leave a hollow tunnel. If part of the tunnel roof later collapses, it may expose a pit or skylight. This is the hypothesized process, not a direct observation of a tube beneath Marius Hills.
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NASA has reported evidence of a cave at a different lunar pit. In July 2024, scientists reanalyzed Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) Mini-RF radar data collected in 2010 and found evidence that a cave extends more than 200 feet from the base of a pit in Mare Tranquillitatis. NASA said the cave’s full extent was unknown, though it could extend for miles beneath the mare. That radar evidence helps explain why researchers investigate lunar pits, but it does not establish what lies under Marius Hills. NASA’s account of the Mare Tranquillitatis findings describes the separate location and evidence.
Could a lunar cave shelter astronauts?
A suitable, confirmed underground void could matter for future habitat planning. NASA identifies potential protection from extreme surface temperatures, ionizing radiation, and micrometeoroid bombardment as reasons to study lunar subsurface spaces. Those are possible benefits of an appropriate cave, not evidence that the Marius Hills Pit is accessible, safe, or planned as an astronaut habitat.
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How GIMLI fits with NASA’s other lunar investigations
Payload names and schedules are easy to mix up, but NASA has described several distinct investigations:
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| Investigation | Purpose and location | What NASA has said about timing |
|---|---|---|
| GIMLI | Planned subsurface scan at Marius Hills Pit to test for a large lava tube. | No specific launch date or CLPS task order stated in the September 30, 2026 announcement, updated October 2. |
| LEMS | An autonomous seismometer suite intended to monitor moonquake-related ground motion near the lunar south pole. | NASA’s 2024 Artemis announcement described an intended operating duration of three months to two years at the time. This is not a GIMLI schedule. NASA’s LEMS announcement. |
| EMILIA-3D, LISTER, and SELINE | Other PRISM-selected lunar payloads, distinct from GIMLI. | In January 2026, NASA said they would fly on CLPS no earlier than 2028 and that specific CLPS task orders would be assigned later. That schedule does not apply to GIMLI. NASA’s January 2026 announcement. |
The result to watch for is whether GIMLI’s investigation finds evidence of a large underground tube at Marius Hills. Until NASA reports that result, the pit remains a target of scientific inquiry—not a confirmed lunar cave.
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