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NASA is preparing for a commercial robotic flight to the Moon under the agency’s command. CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) Artemisa initiative and campaign. Intuitive Machines will launch its Nova-C lander on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than Wednesday, February 14, from Cape Canaveral, Florida. The Intuitive Machines IM-1 mission will carry six NASA payloads destined for the South Pole region.
NASA’s instrument cluster aboard IM-1 will conduct scientific research and demonstrate technologies to help us better understand the Moon’s environment and improve landing accuracy and safety in the difficult conditions of the south polar lunar region. , paving the way for future Artemis astronaut missions. The payloads will collect data on how the engines’ gas plume interacts with the Moon’s surface and kicks up lunar dust, investigate radio astronomy and space weather interactions with the lunar surface, test precision landing technologies, and measure the amount of liquid propellant in Nova-C propellant tanks in the zero gravity of space. The Nova-C lander will also carry a set of retroreflectors that will contribute to a network of location markers on the Moon that will be used as a position marker for decades to come.
The Nova-C lander aims to land on Thursday, February 22, in a relatively flat and safe area near the Malapert A crater, in the south polar region of the Moon.
He six NASA payloads Included aboard Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 mission are:
- LN-1 (Lunar Node 1 Navigation Demonstration)
A small CubeSat-sized flight hardware experiment that integrates navigation and communication functions for autonomous navigation to support future orbital and surface operations. Principal Investigator: Dr. Evan Anzalone, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center
- LRA (Laser Retroreflector Array)
A collection of eight retroreflectors that enable precision laser ranging, which is a measurement of the distance between an orbiting or landing spacecraft and the lander’s reflector. The LRA is a passive optical instrument and will serve as a permanent location marker on the Moon for decades to come.
Principal Investigator: Dr. Xiaoli Sun, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
- NDL (Navigation Doppler Lidar for Accurate Speed and Range Detection)
A Lidar (light detection and ranging) based descent and landing sensor. This instrument works on the same principles as radar, but uses pulses from a laser emitted through three optical telescopes. NDL will measure vehicle speed (speed and direction) and altitude (distance to surface) with high precision during descent to landing. Principal Investigator: Dr. Farzin Amzajerdian, NASA Langley Research Center
- RFMG (radio frequency mass meter)
Rocket propellant meter used to measure the amount of propellant of a spacecraft in a low gravity space environment. Using sensor technology, RFMG will measure the amount or mass of cryogenic propellants in Nova-C’s tanks, providing data that can help predict propellant usage on future missions. Principal Investigator: Dr. Greg Zimmerli, NASA Glenn Research Center
- ROLSES (Photoelectron Pod Observations of Radio Waves on the Lunar Surface)
Four antennas and a low-frequency radio receiver system designed to study the dynamic radio energy environment near the lunar surface and determine how natural and human-generated activity near the surface interact with scientific investigations. It will also detect radio emissions from the Sun, Jupiter and Earth, as well as dust impacting the surface of the Moon. Principal Investigator: Dr. Nat Gopalswamy, NASA Goddard
- SCALPSS (Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies)
A set of four cameras to capture still and stereo images of the dust plume created by the lander’s engine as it begins its descent to the lunar surface until the engine shuts down. Principal Investigator: Michelle Munk, NASA Langley
Intuitive Machines is one of 14 suppliers eligible to transport NASA payloads to the Moon through the agency’s CLPS initiative, which began in 2018. CLPS is an innovative approach that connects NASA with commercial solutions from U.S. companies to deliver scientific, exploration and technological payloads to the Moon. the surface of the Moon and into the lunar orbit. Through CLPS, NASA aims to gain new knowledge about the lunar environment and expand the lunar economy to support future manned missions under the Sagebrush Campaign.
Learn more about NASA’s CLPS initiative at:
