Global Electromagnetic Moon Surveyor

The overall scientific objective of the proposed Global Electromagnetic Moon Surveyor (GEMS) payload for Chandrayaan-II that is planned to be launched in 2012, is to explore the electromagnetic environment near and on the surface of the Moon. Among the key objectives are the investigation of the electromagnetic properties of the potentially dense and dusty lunar day side plasma, the tenuous lunar wake with its turbulent boundaries, and the electromagnetic interactions between the Moon and the Earth?s magnetic tail. This is an important science investigation in itself with high technology objectives. But it is also important as a preparation for the deployment of permanent scientific instrumentation, such as radio telescopes, on the Moon.