NASA announced three new scientific payloads that will head to the Moon to better understand lunar hazards and resources.

An artist's conception of daily operations on the Moon.

NASA

If we’re going to the Moon to stay this time, according to NASA intentions, astronauts, engineers, and scientists will need to understand the day-to-day environment on the lunar surface. Now, NASA has announced the selection of three scientific payloads to do just that.

These projects will hitch rides aboard various commercial lunar landers in the coming years as part of NASA's new Payloads and Research Investigations on the Surface of the Moon (PRISM) initiative. The payloads will study environmental hazards and critical resources, as well as scout out possible sheltered regions on the Moon.…