|
Updated information
Tags: Visual edit Mobile edit Mobile web edit
|
Updated information
Tags: Visual edit Mobile edit Mobile web edit
|
||
| Line 28: | Line 28: | ||
| length = {{cvt|3|m}} <ref name='Stuckey MSN 2018'>[https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/article/houston-company-among-9-tapped-to-build-moon-landers/ar-BBQhtDm#image=2 Houston company among 9 tapped to build moon landers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201222835/https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/article/houston-company-among-9-tapped-to-build-moon-landers/ar-BBQhtDm#image=2 |date=2018-12-01}} Alex Stuckey, ''The Houston Chronicle'' 30 November 2018</ref> |
| length = {{cvt|3|m}} <ref name='Stuckey MSN 2018'>[https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/article/houston-company-among-9-tapped-to-build-moon-landers/ar-BBQhtDm#image=2 Houston company among 9 tapped to build moon landers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201222835/https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/article/houston-company-among-9-tapped-to-build-moon-landers/ar-BBQhtDm#image=2 |date=2018-12-01}} Alex Stuckey, ''The Houston Chronicle'' 30 November 2018</ref> |
||
| diameter = {{cvt|2|m}} <ref name='Stuckey MSN 2018'/> |
| diameter = {{cvt|2|m}} <ref name='Stuckey MSN 2018'/> |
||
| status = |
| status = First mission transiting to the moon. |
||
| built = |
| built = |
||
| orders = 3 |
| orders = 3 |
||
| File:Intuitive-machines-nova-c-lunar-lander.jpg
Nova-C Class
| |
| Manufacturer | Intuitive Machines |
|---|---|
| Designer | Intuitive Machines |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Operator | Intuitive Machines |
| Applications | Lunar payloads delivery and support |
| Specifications | |
| Spacecraft type | Lunar lander |
| Bus | Nova-C Bus |
| Launch mass | 1,900 kg (4,200 lb) [1] |
| Payload capacity | 100 kg (220 lb) [2] |
| Power | 200 W (0.27 hp)[2] |
| Design life | After landing, 14 Earth days max. |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 3 m (9.8 ft) [3] |
| Diameter | 2 m (6 ft 7 in) [3] |
| Production | |
| Status | First mission transiting to the moon. |
| On order | 3 |
| Launched | 0 |
| Maiden launch | 01:05 a.m. EST, February 15, 2024 (schedule updated)[4] |
| Related spacecraft | |
| Derived from | Project Morpheus[2] |
The Intuitive Machines Nova-C, or simply Nova-C, is a class of lunar landers designed by the American company Intuitive Machines to deliver small commercial payloads to the surface of the Moon.
Intuitive Machines was one of nine commercial landing service providers[5] selected by NASA in November 2018 to submit bids for the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.[6] In 2019 NASA awarded Intuitive Machines a "task order" for the delivery of a scientific payload to the Moon.[7] In 2021 Intuitive Machines received a $77 million(US) contract to conduct lunar landings for NASA.[8]
The first of three Nova-C landers, the "Mission IM-1/ Nova-C Odysseus Lander" is currently scheduled to launch on February 15, 2024 at 1:05 AM EST.[4] The Odysseus lander had previously been scheduled for a launch approximately 21 hours earlier on February 14, however due to an issue with Spacex's fueling system for the Odysseus lander, the launch was delayed.[9]
Should the first lander, Odysseus, successfully land on the Moon, it will mark the first successful soft Moon landing for an American made spacecraft in over 50 years (Apollo 17), and will also mark the first time a private company has made a successful soft landing on the Moon.[10][11]
The second Nova-C lander with the IM-2 mission is scheduled for a launch in March, 2024,[12] and a third Nova-C lander on the IM-3 mission is scheduled for June, 2024.[13][14] All three landers will launch on SpaceX's Falcon 9 launch vehicle.[15][16][17][18][19] Nova-C lunar landers are not fully designed to withstand the harshly cold temperatures of a lunar night. Accordingly they are only designed to last a maximum of approximately 14 Earth days, which is the length of the Sunlit portion of one Moon day.[20]
The Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander program is a part of the NASA Artemis program, one of whose long term goals is to establish a permanent manned base on the Moon.
The Nova-C design was developed by Intuitive Machines (IM), inheriting technology developed by NASA's Project Morpheus.[2] Its pressure-fed VR900 main engine uses methane and oxygenasliquid propellants, pressurized by helium gas,[21] 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.[22] For attitude control the vehicle uses a helium reaction control system.[23]
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 will be loaded onto Nova-C at the launch pad alongside propellant loading of the launch vehicle.[24] Nova-C is capable of 24/7 data coverage for its client payload, and can hold a payload of 100 kg.[2]
Nova-C operations are conducted from a private mission control center. The IM-1 mission partners with Fugro SpAARC for contingency mission control.[23] Use of "Nova Control" and the associated Lunar Data Network ground stations are also offered as commercial services.
Intuitive Machines (IM) named their first lunar lander for the IM-1 mission as Odysseus.[25] 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."[23]
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.[8] 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.[26]
On January 31, 2024 the Odysseus spacecraft was encapsulated in the payload fairing of its Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle.[27] On Feburary 13, two wet dress rehearsals loading Odysseus with propellants were successful and IM announced that they were ready for launch.[28][29] The Odysseus lander had been scheduled previously for a launch at 12:57 AM EST on February 14, 2024, however, the launch has now been delayed until 1:05 AM EST of February 15 due to "off-nominal" temperature readings from the Odysseus' methane fuel.[30]
For the IM-1 mission the Nova‑C lander Odysseus will carry six NASA-sponsored instruments. The lander will also carry six payloads from other customers, including EagleCAM.[31][32] The lander will operate for one lunar day, which is equivalent to about 14 Earth days.[19] The planned landing site has changed several times. At one point it was to land between Mare Serenitatis and Mare Crisium.[33][31] As of February 2023[update], the site will be at Malapert A near the lunar south pole.[34]
The lander will also be carrying the sculpture Moon PhasesbyJeff 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 ScottofApollo 15 in 1971.[35][36]
A Radio Frequency Mass Gauge (RFMG) payload will be included to estimate how much propellant is available during the IM-1 mission. This will be the first long-duration test of an RFMG on a standalone spacecraft.[37]
| Name | Agency/Company | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Nova-C Odysseus | Intuitive Machines | Lunar lander |
| * ILO-X [38] | 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)[39] | NASA / University of Colorado Boulder | Instrument |
| * Tiger Eye 1 [40] | Louisiana State University | Instrument |
| EagleCAM [41] | Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University | CubeSat |
| Lunaprise [42] | Galactic Legacy Labs | Memorial |
| Moon Phases[43] | Pace Verso / 4Space / NFMoon | Sculpture |
The IM-1 Odysseus lander is projected to take five to six days to travel from the Earth to the Moon. Once in the vicinity of the Moon, the lander will then spend approximately one more Earth-day orbiting the Moon. This would set February 22, 2024 (exact time TBD) as the lander's "estimated lunar landing date".[44][45] The initial aim is to land within the Malapert-A crater, which is about 300 km (190 mi) from the lunar south pole.[23][46]
Just before landing, at approximately 30 m (98 ft) above the lunar surface, Odysseus will eject the EagleCam camera-equipped CubeSat. Once ejected, the EagleCam will land on the lunar surface somewhere near the lander. From the surface the EagleCam will attempt to capture the first third-person images of a lunar landing.[47] The EagleCam will utilize a Wi-Fi connection with the Odysseus lander to relay its images back to Earth.[41]
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 in March, 2024.[12] The primary payloads will be the PRIME-1 ice drill, which will attempt to harvest ice from below the lunar surface with the aid of the MSolo mass spectrometer.[48][49]
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.[50]
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.[51][52]
A lunar communications satellite will be deployed on this mission to facilitate communications between the lander and ground stations on Earth.[52]
Spaceflight will deliver rideshare payloads on this mission aboard its Sherpa EScape (Sherpa-ES) space tug called Geo Pathfinder.[53][54]
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.[55][56]
In August 2021, IM selected SpaceX to launch its third lunar mission IM-3, at some point in 2024.[17] As of February 2024, the launch date has been narrowed down to taking place during the month of June 2024.[13] It will deliver payloads to the Reiner Gamma lunar swirl for the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.[57][58] 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.[59]
The Nova-C lander was designed to be compatible with the fuel sources that are strongly believed to be available on both the Moon and on Mars, namely methane and oxygen. 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).[60][61] The Nova-C lander design also provides a technology platform that can be scaled up to mid and large lander classes, and which is capable of accommodating larger payloads.[26]
In an interview with NASA recorded in October 2023 Tim Crain, CTO of Intuitive Machines, mentions the possible development of a Nova-D lander.[62]
Some of the more notable US lunar lander programs are:[63]
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
Page will play audio when loaded)
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
|
| ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||
| Missions |
|
| ||||
| Agencies |
| |||||
| Facilities |
| |||||
| Rockets |
| |||||
| Crewed spacecraft |
| |||||
| Robotic spacecraft |
| |||||
| ||||||
|
Lunar landing missions
| |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Active |
| ||||||||||
| Past |
| ||||||||||
| Failed |
| ||||||||||
| Planned |
| ||||||||||
| Proposed |
| ||||||||||
|
Future spaceflights
| |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crewed |
| ||||||||||||
| Uncrewed |
| ||||||||||||
| Recently launched |
| ||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
