  MoonLITE (Lunar InTerferometry Explorer) is an Astrophysics Pioneers proposal
to develop, build, fly, and operate the first separated-aperture optical
interferometer in space, delivering sub-mas science results. MoonLITE will
leverage the Pioneers opportunity for utilizing NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload
Services (CLPS) to deliver an optical interferometer to the lunar surface,
enabling unprecedented discovery power by combining high spatial resolution
from optical interferometry with deep sensitivity from the stability of the
lunar surface. Following landing, the CLPS-provided rover will deploy the
pre-loaded MoonLITE outboard optical telescope 100 meters from the lander's
inboard telescope, establishing a two-element interferometric observatory with
a single deployment. MoonLITE will observe targets as faint as 17th magnitude
in the visible, exceeding ground-based interferometric sensitivity by many
magnitudes, and surpassing space-based optical systems resolution by a factor
of 50 times. The capabilities of MoonLITE open a unique discovery space that
includes direct size measurements of the smallest, coolest stars and substellar
brown dwarfs; searches for close-in stellar companions orbiting
exoplanet-hosting stars that could confound our understanding and
characterization of the frequency of Earth-like planets; direct size
measurements of young stellar objects and characterization of the terrestrial
planet-forming regions of these young stars; measurements of the inner regions
and binary fraction of active galactic nuclei; and a probe of the very nature
of spacetime foam itself. A portion of the observing time will also be made
available to the broader community via a guest observer program. MoonLITE takes
advantage of the CLPS opportunity and delivers an unprecedented combination of
sensitivity and angular resolution at the remarkably affordable cost point of
Pioneers.
