NASA has begun nine-days of field tests of new technology for exploring the moon in the Pacific US state of Hawaii.

The so-called analog mission will demonstrate techniques to prospect for lunar ice.

NASA's project manager Bill Larson has told Radio Australia's the testing site near Hilo features lava-covered mountain soil similar to the ancient volcanic plains on the moon.

"We look for an analog location on Earth that can simulate as best we can, the destination that we would go to," he said.

"So in our case we're going to the poles of the moon to search for water ice that we can use to enable exploration missions, and it turns out that the Hawaii volcanoes have a soil, in some places, that is very similar."

One of two main tests is the Regolith and Environment Science and Oxygen and Lunar Volatile Extraction (RESOLVE), which Mr says could be the first step in finding usable water on the moon.

"It will go to the poles of the moon, and over a 5-7 day period, it will drive around the square-kilometre of the lunar surface, and map the sub-surface water there," he said.

"And then we'll also take core samples so that we know how far below the surface it is.

"Once we understand where that water is, how it's bound up in the soil, then we can design the next mission to go back and harvest it and utilise that water."

A number of other tests will help develop navigation, communications and sample processing for future missions.

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NASA simulates moon landing in Hawaii