Universities are to design and build a seismic monitoring network which will be dropped onto the moon in 2013 as part part of a re-energised UK space programme.
The Mullard Space Science Laboratory in Surrey is coordinating the project, which is one element in a plan to send a UK space probe to the Moon.
The proposed unmanned UK moon mission, wghich is called Moonlite, wiil put a satellite into orbit around the Moon and wiil support Nasa's own return to the Moon.
The mission will be timed to support future US human missions. "We are thinking around 2013," Dr Rob Gowen of Mullard told Electronics Weekly.
"There are strong, Richter scale five, surface moon quakes and it might be useful to find out where they are, and where they aren't," he added.
The plan is for four sensors, called penetrators, about half a metre long and 12cm in diameter whgich will be released from a satellite in lunar polar orbit.
"Each will have a delivery system with a rocket motor and attitude control to slow it down to 300m/s and land it point first," said Gowen.
Imperial College London is building the three-axis seismometers that will provide data - which will be sent back to Earth via the orbiter.
"They will be micro seismometers, etched out of silicon," said Gowen. "They have got ideas how to survive the 10,000 g deceleration."
One penetrator will be placed close to the cluster of Apollo landing sites - allowing its instruments to be calibrated against Apollo data. Then there will be one on the far side of the moon - the first ever landing on that hemisphere, and one in a crater at each pole.
Part of the reason for landing in craters at the pole it to look for water with other instruments. If there is water, RF attenuation will be greater.