GRAIL project management: Launching on cost, schedule, and spec and achieving full mission success

The Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory (GRAIL) project, a NASA Discovery Program mission with a cost cap, was launched September 10, 2011, on spec, on time and under budget. Led by Principal Investigator (PI) Dr. Maria T. Zuber of MIT and managed by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, with Lockheed Martin as spacecraft contractor and the late Sally Ride as Education and Public Outreach Lead, GRAIL completed its Prime Mission in May 2012, successfully meeting its objectives-to precisely map the gravitational field of the Moon to reveal its internal structure “from crust to core,” determine its thermal evolution, and extend this knowledge to other planets. This paper updates last year´s IEEE Aerospace Conference paper [1], summarizing key development challenges and accomplishments through completion of the Primary Mission, and reporting progress in the Extended Mission.