Intuitive Machines Nova-C

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(Redirected from Odysseus (lunar lander))
Not to be confused with Nova (rocket).
"IM-1" redirects here. For Interstellar meteor 1, see IM1.

Nova-C Lunar Lander
Nova-C Class lander model on display
ManufacturerIntuitive Machines
DesignerIntuitive Machines
Country of originUnited States
OperatorIntuitive Machines
ApplicationsLunar payloads delivery and support
Specifications
Spacecraft typeLunar lander
BusNova-C Bus
Launch mass1,900 kg (4,200 lb) [1]
Payload capacity100 kg (220 lb) [2]
Power200 W (0.27 hp)[2]
Design lifeAfter landing, 14 Earth days max.
Dimensions
Length3 m (9.8 ft) [3]
Diameter2 m (6 ft 7 in) [3]
Production
StatusIn production
On order2
Launched1
Maiden launch01:05 a.m. EST, 15 February 2024[4]
Related spacecraft
Derived fromProject Morpheus[2]
Flown withFalcon 9 Block 5


Mission Motto:
ADTIGO PLANITIA LUNAE
(I will touch the plains of the Moon)

-

The Intuitive Machines Nova-C, or simply Nova-C, is a class of lunar landers designed by Intuitive Machines to deliver small payloads to the surface of the Moon. Most locations on the lunar surface remain sunlit for approximately fourteen consecutive Earth days; Nova-C landers are expected to remain operational while in sunlight and are not designed to withstand the cold temperatures of a lunar night.

In 2018 NASA solicited bids from nine companies, including Intuitive Machines, for the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.[5] CLPS is part of the NASA Artemis program. One of the long term goals of Artemis is establishing a permanent crewed base on the Moon.

Intuitive Machines was one of three service providers awarded task orders in 2019 for delivery of NASA science payloads to the Moon.[6] In 2021 Intuitive Machines received a US$77 million dollar contract to conduct lunar landings for NASA.[7]

Odysseus, the lander for the IM-1 mission, launched on 15 February 2024 at 1:05 AM EST.[4] If successful, its soft Moon landing will be the first for an American made spacecraft since Apollo 17, more than 50 years ago. It would also be the first soft lunar landing by a private company.[8][9] Due to the timing of the IM-1 nission, Odysseus is expected to land in the middle of a lunar day, and expected to remain functional for approximately seven Earth days after landing.[10]

The second Nova-C lander with the IM-2 mission is scheduled to launch no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2024, and a third Nova-C lander on the IM-3 mission is scheduled for early 2025.[11] All three landers will launch on SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch vehicle.[12][13][14][15][16]

Overview[edit]

The Nova-C design was developed by Intuitive Machines, inheriting technology developed by NASA's Project Morpheus.[2] Its pressure-fed VR900 main engine uses methane and oxygen as liquid propellants, pressurized by helium gas,[17] to produce 4,000 N (900 lbf) of thrust. The lander structure is a hexagonal cylinder with six landing legs. It includes solar panels which can generate 200 W of electrical power on the lunar surface.[18] For attitude[a] control the vehicle uses a helium reaction control system.[19]

The lander includes autonomous landing and hazard detection technology and once landed is still capable of relocating itself to a second landing site by performing a vertical takeoff, cruise, and vertical landing.[2][1] Propellant is loaded onto Nova-C at the launch pad alongside propellant loading of the launch vehicle.[20] Nova-C is capable of 24/7 data coverage for its client payload, and can hold a payload of 100 kg.[2]

Mission control[edit]

Nova-C operations are conducted from a private mission control center. The IM-1 mission partners with Fugro SpAARC for contingency mission control.[19] Use of "Nova Control" and the associated Lunar Data Network ground stations are also offered as commercial services.

IM-1 mission[edit]

Nova-C Class IM-1 Odysseus in preparation for launch

Intuitive Machines (IM) named their first lunar lander for the IM-1 mission as Odysseus.[21] According to IM, "IM-1 is a ... mission aimed at creating a commercial lunar economy, delivering commercial payloads and NASA science and technology payloads that will pave the way for a sustainable human presence on and around the Moon."[19]

Selection[edit]

In 2021, IM signed a US$77 million contract with NASA to build and launch the first Nova‑C as a part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.[7] IM is to produce the first three landers for this program, which are tasked with delivering small payloads to explore and test various new technologies, and to analyze and process some of the natural resources of the Moon.[22]

Launch of the IM-1 mission

Launch[edit]

On 31 January 2024 the Odysseus spacecraft was encapsulated in the payload fairing of its Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle.[23] On 13 February, two wet dress rehearsals loading Odysseus with propellants were successful and IM announced that they were ready for launch.[24][25] SpaceX rescheduled the Odysseus launch from 14 February to February 15, reporting "non-nominal" temperature onboard the Odysseus methane tank.[26] Odysseus was launched at 1:05 AM EST on 15 February 2024.

Trans-lunar operations[edit]

Trent Martin, IM vice president of Space Systems, described the steps used during transit to the Moon. After separation from the launch vehicle the Nova Control operations center will establish communication with the lander and conduct initial checkouts. The lander was scheduled to perform a main engine “commissioning burn” on 15 February; Martin described it as a “critical step” for the mission.[27]

Early operations
  • On 15 February IM reported an issue with the IM-1 star tracker had delayed the commissioning burn.[28]
  • On 16 February IM reported that Odysseus was in good health, and the commissioning burn had been rescheduled to allow adjustment of the liquid oxygen line cooling time.[29]


Commissioning burn
  • Later on 16 February IM reported a successful commissioning burn.[30] The "commissioning burn" marks the first time that a methalox rocket has been successfully fired in space on a rocket that was designed to be both restartable and reusable. The Zhuque-2 launch vehicle was the first rocket to successfully employ a methalox rocket in space on July 12, 2023, however the Zhuque was not designed to be restartable or reusable.[31][32]
  • On 17 February IM released photographic images captured by the spacecraft after separation from the launch vehicle.[33]


Trajectory correction maneuvers

IM planned for up to three trajectory adjustment maneuvers during the trans-lunar phase of the mission.[30]


Animation of IM-1
Around the Earth
Around the Moon
   IM-1  ·   Earth ·   Moon

Lunar landing[edit]

Map showing location of the Malapert "satellite craters."

The IM-1 Odysseus lander is projected to take five to six days to travel from the Earth to the Moon. Once it has achieved Moon orbit, the lander will spend approximately one Earth-day orbiting the Moon. This sets February 22, 2024 (exact time TBD) as the estimated lunar landing date".[34][35] The landing target is the Malapert-A crater, which is about 300 km (190 mi) from the lunar south pole.[19][36]

A favored possible landing site in 2020 was between the Mare Serenitatis plain and the Mare Crisium plain.[37][38] Later on it was decided that the south pole of the Moon was one of the most likely locations to have a suitable source of water for a future manned lunar base.[39]

The Malapert-A crater area just 300 km from the lunar South Pole was chosen due to the fact that it appeared to be a relatively flat and safe place on which to land near to the lunar South Pole, amongst other considerations.[39][40] Should the Odysseus lander accomplish a soft lunar landing, it will mark America's return to the Moon's surface after a 52 year hiatus, and it will be the first American spacecraft to land on the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.[41]

EagleCam to record lunar landing[edit]

Just before landing, at approximately 30 m (98 ft) above the lunar surface, Odysseus will eject the EagleCam camera-equipped CubeSat, which will drop onto the lunar surface near the lander. From the surface the EagleCam will attempt to capture the first third-person images of a lunar landing.[42] The EagleCam will use a Wi-Fi connection to the Odysseus lander to relay its images back to Earth.[43]

Payloads[edit]

For the IM-1 mission the Nova‑C lander Odysseus carries six NASA-sponsored instruments. The lander also carries six payloads from other customers, including EagleCAM.[38][44] The lander will operate for a maximum of one daytime portion of one lunar day, which is equivalent to about 14 full Earth days. The Odysseus lander is not designed to survive the long lunar night. Since the Odysseus lander will be arriving approximately seven Earth-days after the last sunrise over the Malapert-A crater, it is not expected to remain active for more than approximately another seven Earth-days after landing, when the Sun will finally be setting over the Malapert-A crater.[16]

The lander carries the sculpture Moon Phases by Jeff Koons within its payload. This would be the first sculpture installation to reach the Moon since Paul Van Hoeydonck's Fallen Astronaut sculpture was placed on the Moon by David Scott of Apollo 15 in 1971.[45][46] Koons describes Moon Phases as, "125 miniature Moon sculptures, each approximately one inch in diameter."[47]

A Radio Frequency Mass Gauge (RFMG) payload is included to estimate how much propellant is available during the IM-1 mission. This is the first long-duration test of an RFMG on a standalone spacecraft.[48]

Name Agency/Company Type
Nova-C Odysseus Intuitive Machines Lunar lander
* ILO-X [49] International Lunar Observatory Instrument
* Laser Retro-Reflector Array NASA Instrument
* Navigation Doppler Lidar for Precise Velocity and Range Sensing NASA Instrument
* Lunar Node 1 Navigation Demonstrator NASA Instrument
* Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies NASA Instrument
* Radiowave Observations at the Lunar Surface of the photoElectron Sheath (ROLSES)[50] NASA / University of Colorado Boulder Instrument
* Tiger Eye 1 [51] Louisiana State University Instrument
EagleCAM [43] Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University CubeSat
Lunaprise [52] Galactic Legacy Labs Memorial
Moon Phases[53] Pace Verso / 4Space / NFMoon Sculpture

IM-2 mission[edit]

IM was selected in October 2020 in order to land its second Nova-C lander near the lunar south pole. As of February 2024, IM-2 is expected to be launched no earlier than the fourth quarter of 2024.[11] The primary payload, PRIME-1, include the TRIDENT ice drill to sample ice from below the lunar surface and the MSolo mass spectrometer to measure the amount of ice in the samples.[54][55]

ILO-1 prime contractor Canadensys is working to deliver "a flight-ready low-cost optical payload for the ILO-1 mission, ruggedized for the Moon South Pole environment". It could potentially be ready for integration on the IM-2 mission.[56]

The µNova (Micro Nova) Hopper will separate from the Nova-C lander after landing and function as a standalone hopper lander, exploring multiple difficult-to-reach areas such as deep craters on the lunar surface.[57][58]

A lunar communications satellite will be deployed on this mission to facilitate communications between the lander and ground stations on Earth.[58]

Spaceflight will deliver rideshare payloads on this mission aboard its Sherpa EScape (Sherpa-ES) space tug called Geo Pathfinder.[59][60]

The MiniPIX TPX3 SPACE payload, provided by the Czech company ADVACAM, will be onboard the NOVA-C lunar lander. This payload is designed to monitor the radiation field on the Moon and help understand how to protect crew and equipment from the negative effects of cosmic rays. This marks the first Czech payload planned to be delivered to the Moon's surface.[61][62]

IM-3 mission[edit]

In August 2021, IM selected SpaceX to launch its third lunar mission IM-3, at some point in 2024.[14] As of February 2024, the launch of IM-3 is expected to take place in early 2025.[11] It will deliver payloads to the Reiner Gamma lunar swirl for the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.[63][64] There the lander will conduct experiments investigating the properties of the unexpected magnetic field that has been detected in the vicinity of the Reiner Gamma swirl.[65]

Further Nova-C missions[edit]

The Nova-C lander was designed to be compatible with methane and oxygen fuel sources that are believed to be available on both the Moon and on Mars. For future missions, methane and oxygen could potentially be "harvested" wherever the Nova-C lander may be based using In-situ resource utilization (ISRU) (off-world resource processing technologies).[66][67] The Nova-C lander technology platform can be scaled up to mid and large lander classes, capable of accommodating larger payloads.[22]

Nova-D successor[edit]

In an interview with NASA recorded in October 2023 Tim Crain, CTO of Intuitive Machines, mentions the possible development of a Nova-D lander.[68]

See also[edit]

Other commercial US lunar lander programs
Lunar lander programs by country

Notes[edit]

  1. ^ attitude here refers to orientation of the spacecraft, not distance from a planetary surface

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Berger, Eric (3 May 2021). "For lunar cargo delivery, NASA accepts risk in return for low prices". Ars Technica. Retrieved 3 May 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Nova-C Lunar Lander Archived 1 December 2018 at the Wayback Machine Intuitive Machines Accessed on 28 May 2019
  3. ^ a b Houston company among 9 tapped to build moon landers Archived 2018-12-01 at the Wayback Machine Alex Stuckey, The Houston Chronicle 30 November 2018
  4. ^ a b Status of Nova C (IM-1) Launch Time Next Spaceflight. Feb. 6, 2024. Retrieved Feb. 7, 2024.
  5. ^ "NASA Announces New Partnerships for Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Services". nasa.gov. NASA. 29 November 2018. Retrieved 29 November 2018. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  6. ^ "Houston-based Intuitive Machines to be among first private U.S. companies to land on the moon". Houston Chronicle. 5 June 2019.
  7. ^ a b Houston-based aerospace company lands $77.5 million deal with NASA for 2024 moon mission Intuitivemachines.com. Nov. 23, 2021. Retrieved Feb. 5, 2024.
  8. ^ Dunn, Marcia (4 January 2024). "Two companies will attempt the first US moon landings since the Apollo missions a half-century ago". AP.
  9. ^ "Falcon 9 Block 5 - Nova C (IM-1)". Next Spaceflight. 19 December 2023. Retrieved 20 December 2023.
  10. ^ IM-1, Nova-C “Odysseus” By Juan I. Morales Volosín. February 11, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Foust, Jeff (13 February 2024). "Intuitive Machines ready for launch of its first lunar lander". SpaceNews. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
  12. ^ "Intuitive Machines' first lunar lander mission slips to 2022". SpaceNews. 28 April 2021. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  13. ^ Space Launch Schedule for Nova-C IM-2 Space Launch Schedule.com. Feb. 9, 2024. Retrieved Feb. 9, 2024.
  14. ^ a b "Three-peat: Intuitive Machines Selects SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket for Third Moon Mission". Intuitive Machines. 10 August 2021. Retrieved 10 August 2021.
  15. ^ "One Giant Leap". Columbia. 19 February 2022. Retrieved 24 February 2022.
  16. ^ a b Etherington, Darrell (13 April 2020). "Intuitive Machines picks a launch date and landing site for 2021 Moon cargo delivery mission". TechCrunch. Retrieved 24 April 2021.
  17. ^ Intuitive Machines, LLC (23 April 2021). "Application of Intuitive Machines, LLC". FCC.
  18. ^ "PRIME-1". NASA. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
  19. ^ a b c d IM-1 Mission Summary (pg 8) Intuitive Machines. By Josh Marshall. Dec. 31, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  20. ^ Foust, Jeff (4 October 2023). "First Intuitive Machines lunar lander ready for launch". SpaceNews. Retrieved 11 December 2023.
  21. ^ SpaceX gearing up to launch Intuitive Machines private moon lander in February Space.com. By Mike Wall. Jan. 31, 2024. Retrieved Feb. 5, 2024.
  22. ^ a b Intuitive Machines Headed To The Moon In 2021 Archived 2019-06-02 at the Wayback Machine Space Mining News 30 November 2018
  23. ^ Wall, Mike (31 January 2024). "SpaceX gearing up to launch private moon lander in February". Space.com.
  24. ^ Robinson-Smith, Will (27 October 2023). "Intuitive Machines targets launch to the Moon in mid-January". Spaceflight Now.
  25. ^ Foust, Jeff. "Intuitive Machines ready for launch of its first lunar lander". SpaceNews. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  26. ^ Chang, Kenneth. "SpaceX Postpones Launch of Intuitive Machines Moon Mission". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  27. ^ Robinson-Smith, Will (13 February 2024). "SpaceX, Intuitive Machines launches robotic lander to the Moon". Spaceflight Now.
  28. ^ "IM-1 Mission Vehicle Health Update" (PDF). intuitivemachines.com. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  29. ^ IM-1 Mission Engine Commissioning Update Intuitivemachines.com. February 16, 2024 3:00 PM EST. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  30. ^ a b Intuitive Machines flight controllers successfully fired the first liquid methane and liquid oxygen engine in space Intuitive Machines/ Twitter/ X. February 16, 2024. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  31. ^ China beats US, Europe, India to launch 1st methane-powered rocket to space Indiatoday.in. July 12, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  32. ^ ZhuQue-2 launches on third flight Nasaspaceflight.com. By Adrian Beil. December 8, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  33. ^ Intuitive Machines Transmits First IM-1 Mission Images In Space Intuitivemachines.com. February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  34. ^ How to watch SpaceX launch the private Intuitive Machines moon lander IM-1 on Feb. 14 live online By Tariq Malik. Space.com. February 11, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  35. ^ First Intuitive Machines lunar lander ready for launch By Jeff Foust. SpaceNews.com. October 3, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  36. ^ Intuitive Machines ... IM-1-NOVA Description NASA.gov. By Dr. Susan Lederer. Updated February 14, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  37. ^ "First Commercial Moon Delivery Assignments to Advance Artemis". NASA. 22 January 2020.
  38. ^ a b "Intuitive Machines-1 Orbital Debris Assessment Report (ODAR) Revision 1.1" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. 22 April 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  39. ^ a b Intuitive Machines Lunar Landing Site Moves to South Pole NASA.gov. May 25, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  40. ^ Foust, Jeff (7 February 2023). "Intuitive Machines moves landing site of first mission to lunar south pole". SpaceNews. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  41. ^ Nova-C lander, referred to as Odysseus, hoping to become first American spacecraft to reach moon since the 1970s Foxbusiness.com. By Greg Norman. February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  42. ^ Second Private U.S. Moon Lander Readies for Launch Scientific American. By Michael Greshko. Feb. 9, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  43. ^ a b "EagleCam". Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida.
  44. ^ "Media teleconference - Lunar Delivery Readiness for First Intuitive Machines Moon Flight". NASA. 13 February 2024. ( Page will play audio when loaded)
  45. ^ Ozturk, Selen (12 April 2022). "Jeff Koons to Launch First NFT Project to the Moon". Whitewall. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  46. ^ "Sculpture, Fallen Astronaut". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on 28 July 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  47. ^ "Jeff Koons - Moon Phases". Pace. 12 May 2023.
  48. ^ Bausback, Ellen (6 February 2024). "NASA Tests New Spacecraft Propellant Gauge on Lunar Lander". NASA.
  49. ^ "International Lunar Observatory Association, ILO-X Precursor Mission Details". International Lunar Observatory Association. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  50. ^ "Radiowave Observations at the Lunar Surface of the photoElectron Sheath (ROLSES)". 18 July 2019.
  51. ^ "LSU Goes to the Moon". Louisiana State University. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
  52. ^ "Galactic Legacy Labs - About Us".
  53. ^ "Jeff Koons: Moon Phases | Pace Gallery". www.pacegallery.com. 21 June 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2024.
  54. ^ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details".
  55. ^ Brown, Katherine (16 October 2020). "NASA Selects Intuitive Machines to Land Water-Measuring Payload on the Moon". NASA. Retrieved 15 November 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  56. ^ "The ILO Mission - ILOA Hawai'i". 7 April 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2023.
  57. ^ "Lunar Services – Getting Around – EXTREME Lunar Surface Mobility". Intuitive Machines. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  58. ^ a b "Intuitive Machines to Deploy and Operate First Lunar Communication Satellite in 2022". Intuitive Machines. 21 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  59. ^ "IM-2 South Pole Mission Adds Secondary Rideshare Spaceflight Inc". Intuitive Machines. 18 August 2021. Retrieved 18 August 2021.
  60. ^ "Spaceflight Inc announces rideshare mission to the moon and geostationary orbit". nasaspaceflight.com. 15 September 2021. Retrieved 15 September 2021.
  61. ^ "ADVACAM - MiniPIX TPX3 SPACE". Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  62. ^ "LSU's TIGER EYE-1 to Monitor Radiation Environment in Deep Space". Retrieved 2 November 2023.
  63. ^ "NASA Selects Intuitive Machines to Deliver 4 Lunar Payloads in 2024". Intuitive Machines. 17 November 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  64. ^ "NASA Selects Intuitive Machines for New Lunar Science Delivery". NASA (Press release). 17 November 2021. Retrieved 17 November 2021.
  65. ^ NASA Selects Intuitive Machines for New Lunar Science Delivery By Karen Fox et. al. Nov.17, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  66. ^ "Innovative Partnership Tests Fuels of the Future". NASA. 13 October 2009. Retrieved 3 March 2012. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  67. ^ Nasa's new Mars landing craft Morpheus bursts into flames on take-off The Telegraph 10 August 2012
  68. ^ "IM-1, Houston We Have a Podcast". NASA. 9 February 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Intuitive_Machines_Nova-C&oldid=1208612610#IM-1_mission"