NASA's Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory spacecraft (Grail) will begin final preparations for a launch on a Moon mission in late summer, the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) said on Monday.
The dynamic duo will orbit the moon to determine the structure of the lunar interior from crust to core and to advance understanding of the thermal evolution of the moon, according to JPL in Pasadena, Los Angeles.
After arriving at the Astrotech payload processing facility in Titusville, Florida last week, the Grail twins, known as Grail-A and Grail-B, were removed from their shipping containers Monday. Later this week, they will begin functional testing to verify their state of health, said JPL.