From Mars to the Moon

From Mars to the Moon — Norway's radar legacy in space

When NASA's Perseverance rover landed on Mars in February 2021, it carried a Norwegian instrument: RIMFAX, a ground-penetrating radar designed and built by a team led by Professor Svein-Erik Hamran. It was the first time a radar had ever operated on the surface of another planet.

Since then, RIMFAX has been mapping the geological layers beneath the Martian surface in Jezero Crater — an ancient lakebed where signs of past life may be preserved. The data has revealed subsurface structures to depths of 20 metres, providing unprecedented geological context for the rover's mission.

Now, Hamran and his team at CENSSS — the Centre for Space Sensors and Systems at the University of Oslo — are taking the next step. A lunar version of RIMFAX is being developed for MAGPIE, a European rover mission led by ispace-EUROPE and funded by ESA. MAGPIE will explore the Moon's south polar region, searching for water ice and mapping the subsurface to support future human and robotic exploration. The mission is targeting launch in 2028.

In parallel, CENSSS is building Norway's first university satellite, CENSSAT-1, and developing new sensor technologies for Earth observation — all from their base at Kjeller, just outside Oslo.

At Ground Control #2, Hamran will take us from the red plains of Mars to the frozen poles of the Moon, and show how Norwegian radar technology is shaping planetary exploration — with real implications for the emerging lunar economy.

Speaker

Svein-Erik Hamran is Professor of Radar Remote Sensing at the University of Oslo and Director of CENSSS. He is the Principal Investigator for RIMFAX on NASA's Perseverance rover and Co-Principal Investigator for the WISDOM radar on ESA's Rosalind Franklin rover. His work spans ground-penetrating radar for defence, environmental monitoring, and planetary science.

Practical information

Date: Wednesday 25 March 2026 Time: 1700–2000 (programme 1700–1830, networking 1830–2000) Venue: Mesh Youngstorget, Møllergata 6, 0179 Oslo Price: Free (registration required)

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