Jump to content

IM-1

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Consigned (talk | contribs) at 09:31, 18 July 2024 (remove copyvio photo File:Odysseus-lander-at-30-degree-angle-on-moon_(cropped).jpg - VRT permission insufficient, will be deleted in 30 days (wish it was sooner)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

Nova-C Class IM-1 Odysseus in preparation for launch
NamesIM-1
TO2-IM[1]
CLPS-2[2]
Mission typeLunar landing
OperatorIntuitive Machines
COSPAR ID2024-030A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.58963
Mission duration14 days[3]
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftOdysseus
Spacecraft typeNova-C
ManufacturerIntuitive Machines
Launch mass1,900 kilograms (4,200 lb)
Start of mission
Launch dateFebruary 15, 2024, 06:05:00 (2024-02-15UTC06:05Z) UTC
RocketFalcon 9 Block 5 (B1060.18)
Launch siteKennedy LC-39A
End of mission
DeclaredMarch 23, 2024 (2024-03-24)[4]
Last contactFebruary 29, 2024 (2024-03-01)[3]
Lunar lander
Landing dateFebruary 22, 2024, 23:23:00 UTC
Landing siteMalapert A
80°08′S 1°26′E / 80.13°S 1.44°E / -80.13; 1.44[5]

IM-1 mission insignia
Motto: ADTIGO PLANITIA LUNAE
(I touch the plains of the Moon)
(Stick The Landing)[6]
IM-2 →

IM-1 was a lunar mission that was carried out in February 2024 jointly by a partnership between the NASA CLPS program and Intuitive Machines (IM), using an Nova-C lunar lander. IM named their lunar lander as its Odysseus lander. The Odysseus lander was the first commercial lunar lander to have successfully soft-landed on the Moon.[7][8]

After contact with the lunar surface the lander tipped to an unplanned 30 degree angle. All instrument payloads remained functional and the mission was deemed successful.[9] Intuitive Machines initially stated there was a possibility the lander could wake up in about three weeks when the sun comes out,[10] but on March 23 the company announced its conclusion that the lander's electronics had not survived the lunar night, and the mission was declared over.[11][12]

Odysseus's "rough" soft Moon landing is the first soft lunar landing of any kind for an American-made spacecraft since Apollo 17 in 1972. It is the first soft lunar landing by a private company.[13][14] Steve Altemus, CEO of IM, says it is the first liquid methane and liquid oxygen (methalox)-powered spacecraft to fire beyond low-earth orbit, and it is also the first methalox spacecraft to land on an off-world celestial body.[15] Odysseus carried six payloads developed by NASA in addition to others from commercial and educational customers.

Background and selection

In December 2017, Space Policy Directive 1 signaled an intention to return astronauts to the Moon.[16] Excerpts from NASA documents obtained by The New York Times suggested the agency would prioritize the private spaceflight sector.[17][18] In November 2018, NASA announced the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, selecting nine companies to deploy payloads for the agency.[19] In May 2019, NASA announced that Astrobotic Technology, Intuitive Machines, and Orbit Beyond would develop lunar landers, awarding Intuitive Machines US$77 million.[20] Intuitive Machines was paid US$118 million to develop the Odysseus lunar lander used in the IM-1 mission.

The IM-1 mission in February 2024 followed the Peregrine mission by Astrobotic Technology, which launched in January 2024.[21][22] The Peregrine landing at Gruithuisen Domes was abandoned when a propellant leak was observed after launch, and the spacecraft was guided to re-enter Earth's atmosphere.[23]

Mission hardware

Artist conception of the planned upright landed IM-1

Odysseus was equipped with six instruments developed by NASA, including a laser retroreflector array, a lidar navigation device, a stereo camera, a low-frequency radio receiver, the Lunar Node-1 beacon, and an instrument to monitor propellant levels. Additionally, a camera built by students at Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, a planned Moon telescope, and a Jeff Koons art project were also on board.[24] In total the payloads comprise six NASA scientific instruments and six commercial instruments (five of the latter being scientific and one cultural).[25]

Odysseus landed at the Malapert-A crater and will stay active there for about a week, before the Sun sets at the landing site.[26] The Odysseus lander is not designed to survive the lunar night, which lasts about two weeks.[27]

The lander has a chip with works of 200 artists, including works of Pablo Picasso, Michelangelo Buonarroti, Jeff Koons and Bram Reijnders.[28][29] The lander carries the sculpture Moon Phases by Jeff Koons within its payload. This is 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.[30][31] Koons describes Moon Phases as, "125 miniature Moon sculptures, each approximately one inch in diameter."[32]

The lander also carries the Lunaprise time capsule, which includes the Lunar Library compiled by the Arch Mission Foundation.[25] The Lunar Library includes content from the English Wikipedia and the Rosetta Project.[33][34] Also included onboard is an archive of musical recordings, which features songs by Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, and Elvis Presley, among other musicians.[35]

A Radio Frequency Mass Gauge (RFMG) on board estimated how much propellant was available during the IM-1 mission. This was the first long-duration test of an RFMG on a standalone spacecraft.[36][37]

Name Agency/Company Type Details
Nova-C Odysseus Intuitive Machines Lunar lander The Landing Component of the mission. It will also provide support to the equipment.
ILO-X[38] International Lunar Observatory Instrument Proof of concept wide and narrow field imagers
Laser Retro-Reflector Array[39] NASA Instrument A passive optical instrument with eight laser retroreflectors that spacecraft could use for precision determination of their distance to the reflectors. The array provides a permanent location marker on the Moon.[37]
Navigation Doppler Lidar for Precise Velocity and Range Sensing[39] NASA Instrument Included as a technology demonstration payload, NDL was used operationally by Odysseus when the primary mission lidar was discovered to be inoperable.[40]
Lunar Node 1 Navigation Demonstrator[39] NASA Instrument A CubeSat-sized experiment to demonstrate autonomous navigation that could be used by landers, rovers, surface infrastructure and astronauts to confirm their relative positions on the Moon.[37]
Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies[39] NASA Instrument A suite of four cameras to capture imagery showing how the Moon's surface changes from interactions with the spacecraft's engine plume during and after descent.[37]
Radiowave Observations at the Lunar Surface of the photoElectron Sheath (ROLSES)[41] NASA / University of Colorado Boulder Instrument The instrument will observe the Moon's surface environment in radio frequencies, to determine how natural and human-generated activity near the surface interacts with and could interfere with science conducted there.[37]
EagleCam[42] Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University CubeSat A Cubesat that was planned to record the landing after ejecting from IM-1 about 30 m before touchdown.[37]
Lunaprise[43] Galactic Legacy Labs Memorial
Moon Phases art cube[32] Pace Verso / 4Space / NFMoon Sculpture Passive payload blocked after lander tilted to the side hosting this payload, post landing.[44]
Omni-Heat[25] Columbia Sportswear Space blanket
Independence[25] Lonestar Lunar data center test mission

Mission events

Prior to launch

In December 2023, Odysseus arrived at Kennedy Space Center for processing.[45] On January 31, 2024, the Odysseus spacecraft was encapsulated in the payload fairing of its Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle.[46] On February 13, IM announced that two wet dress rehearsals loading Odysseus with propellants had been successful and they were ready for launch.[47][48]

Launch

The Falcon 9 Block 5 launches from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A.

A reusable Falcon 9 booster carrying Odysseus lifted off from LC-39A in Florida at 06:05 UTC on February 15, 2024. The booster returned to LZ-1 and the expended Falcon 9 upper stage delivered the spacecraft to its translunar trajectory.

Originally planned to launch on February 13, SpaceX postponed the launch after reporting a technical issue with propellant loaded onto the lander.[24][49]

Early operations

Nova-C lunar lander drifts away from Falcon 9's second stage after deployment in orbit

After separation from the launch vehicle, the Nova Control operations center established communication with the lander and conducted initial checkouts. Images captured by the spacecraft after separation from the launch vehicle were released on February 17.[50]

Commissioning burn

The lander was scheduled to perform a main engine "commissioning burn" on February 15. Trent Martin, Intuitive Machines vice president of Space Systems, described this as a "critical step" for the mission.[51] After reporting issues with the IM-1 star tracker and adjustment of the liquid oxygen line cooling time IM reported a successful commissioning burn on February 16.[52][53] The maneuver resulted in a 21 m/s (47 mph) change in the lander's velocity.[54]

Trajectory correction

Intuitive Machines planned for up to three trajectory adjustment maneuvers during the trans-lunar phase of the mission.[52] The first was completed on February 18,[54] and after the second maneuver on February 20, there was no need for a third.[55]

On February 20, Intuitive Machines reported that Odysseus had completed approximately 72% of its journey to the Moon's surface.[56]

Animations of IM-1 trajectories
Around the Earth
Around the Moon
   IM-1  ·   Earth ·   Moon

Lunar orbit

Odysseus performed its lunar orbit insertion (LOI) on February 21, altering its velocity by 800 m/s (1,800 mph). Intuitive Machines reported the 408-second main engine LOI burn placed the lander in a 92 km (57 mi) lunar orbit.[57][58] On February 22 IM indicated a "lunar correction maneuver" had raised the orbit.[59]

The lander spent approximately 24 hours orbiting the Moon before its descent to the lunar surface on February 22.[60][61][58] On February 21, while still in orbit, Odysseus sent back high-resolution images of the lunar surface.

Intuitive Machines adjusted the descent burn parameters based on data from the lunar orbit insertion burn. IM indicated the risks undertaken during the lunar landing phase of the mission would be a "challenge".[58] A later report indicated that, as the lander was being prepared for its descent to the surface, mission controllers determined a safety switch on the primary laser rangefinder system had not been activated during pre-launch preparations.[40] Teams on the ground worked around the issue by reprogramming Odysseus to use data from an experimental NASA payload, the Navigation Doppler Lidar for Precise Velocity and Range Sensing.[62]

EagleCam

The EagleCam is a deployable CubeSat camera system designed especially to photograph the lunar landing of the Nova-C Odysseus lander on the Moon. Photographs taken during the lunar landing of the Odysseus lander may also have enabled a better understanding of the dynamics of lunar landings on the lunar regolith and rock surfaces in the vicinity of the Moon's south pole. Such a better understanding of the local lunar surface features should assist with preparations for upcoming scheduled additional landings at the lunar south pole.[42][63]

The CubeSat was piggybacked with the lander and launched on a Falcon 9 rocket to the Moon via direct-intercept trajectory.[63] This lunar landing took place on 22 February 2024. Just before landing, at approximately 30 m (98 ft) above the lunar surface, Odysseus was to eject this CubeSat. Once ejected, the EagleCam was supposed to semi-hard land on the lunar surface somewhere near the lander at 10 metres per second (33 ft/s). From the surface, the EagleCam was planned to capture the first third-person images of a lunar landing.[64] However, due to complications arising from a software patch which reconfigured the lander's sensors used during the final decent to the moon and landing, it was decided that EagleCam would not be ejected during the landing phase. It was later ejected on 28 February but failed to capture images of IM-1 post-landing, the main aim of its mission.[65][66][64][67] “We reset the visual processing unit and powered up the EagleCam, and were able to eject it, and (we) ejected it about 4 meters away from the vehicle safely. However, either in camera or in the Wi-Fi signal back to the lander, something might not be working correctly. So, the Embry‑Riddle team is working on that and wrestling with that to see if there’s anything they can do,” Steve Altemus, CEO of Intuitive Machines commented on EagleCam in a NASA-IM mission update.[68] EagleCam intended to utilize a Wi-Fi connection with the Odysseus lander to relay its images back to Earth, though this did not come to fruition due to complications.[69] Successful ejection and transmission of other data types made EagleCam partially successful in its intended demonstration.

The EagleCam CubeSat was designed and manufactured by staff and students at the Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University.[42][63]

Lunar landing

Map showing location of the Malapert "satellite craters"

A favored landing site in 2020 was between the Sea of Serenity (Mare Serenitatis) and the Sea of Crises (Mare Crisium).[70][71] Lunar maria are large plains formed when lava flowed into ancient impact basins. Later, a lunar highlands location near the south pole of the Moon was chosen for the landing, since that region is believed to have a source of water for a future lunar base.[72]

The Malapert-A crater area 300 km (190 mi) from the lunar south pole was chosen because it appeared to be a relatively flat and safe place near the pole to land, amongst other considerations.[72][73]

After making a last-minute software patch to the lander's altitude monitoring systems, Odysseus began its landing sequence at 23:11 UTC (6:11 p.m. EST) on February 22 and landed near Malapert A—an area determined to contain water ice—at 23:23 UTC (6:23 p.m. EST).[74] Controllers confirmed that faint communications were received from the lander.[75] The lander was initially thought to be in a fully vertical orientation,[62][76] based on stale telemetry. It was later determined to have landed at a 30 degree angle, with its solar panels and scientific instrumentation functionally oriented, but with its radio transmission rates somewhat reduced due to the unexpected angle of the lander's antennas.

The lander appeared to most probably have lost one or more of its 6 landing struts and to be resting on an externally mounted helium tank.[77][78] (The only non-functional payload is a passive Moon Phases art sculpture, on the side facing towards the ground.)[44] Odysseus became the first American spacecraft moon landing since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972 and the first commercial lunar lander.[79] The Lunar Crater Observation and Sensing Satellite made an intentional hard landing in 2009 following deorbit.

Reporting by Kenneth Chang in The New York Times[80] includes a detailed description of the landing anomaly:

Tim Crain, the company’s chief technology officer, said the spacecraft had been designed to stay upright when landing even on a slope of 10 degrees or more. The navigation software was programmed to look for a spot where the slope was five degrees or less. Because the laser instruments on Odysseus for measuring altitude were not working during descent, the spacecraft landed faster than planned on a 12-degree slope. That exceeded its design limits. Odysseus skidded along the surface, broke one of its six legs and tipped to its side.

IM-1 landing site imaged by LROC
Before/After animation of landing site
IM-1 landing site by Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera (LROC)

Surface operations

On February 23, Intuitive Machines reported that the IM-1 Odysseus lander was still "alive and well", and that IM was continuing to receive data on the vehicle's status[81] and whether the scientific payloads could still be deployed.[82][78] Intuitive Machines executives said they were working to reconfigure antennas to increase downlink rates but did not estimate what sort of data rates they expected.[83]

On February 26, Intuitive Machines released the first images from the surface taken by the lunar probe.[84] Based on Earth and moon positioning, the IM team reported that flight controllers would continue to communicate with Odysseus until Tuesday (February 27) morning.[85] As of February 28, Odysseus was still receiving power, and all six NASA payloads were providing good data.[45] In a press conference the same day, Intuitive Machines said the lander was in its final hours of operation as the sun moved out of view of the one illuminated solar panel.[9] On February 29, Odysseus lost power and shut down with the start of the lunar night.[3] However, the company did not rule out bringing Odysseus back to life after the two-week lunar night. Executives said they would try contacting the lander in two to three weeks.[9]

About one month after Odysseus landed on the Moon, Intuitive Machines reported that they could not re-establish contact with the lander after the lunar night, bringing an end to the IM-1 mission.[4]

See also

References

  1. ^ "TO2-IM - NASA". Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  2. ^ Monica Grady (December 29, 2023). "Six space missions to look forward to in 2024". uk.news.yahoo.com. Yahoo! News.
  3. ^ a b c Joey Roulette; Steve Gorman (March 2, 2024). "US moon lander Odysseus goes dormant a week after lopsided landing". www.reuters.com. Reuters. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Intuitive Machines [@Int_Machines] (March 23, 2024). "As of March 23rd at 1030 A.M. Central Standard Time, flight controllers decided their projections were correct, and Odie's power system would not complete another call home. This confirms that Odie has permanently faded after cementing its legacy into history as the first commercial lunar lander to land on the Moon. 3/3" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  5. ^ Mark Robinson (February 26, 2024). "Intuitive Machines IM-1 On The Moon!". www.lroc.asu.edu. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  6. ^ Intuitive Machines [@Int_Machines] (May 10, 2023). "The IM-1 Mission Patch is a point of pride, a touchstone for everyone that's putting their effort into something bigger than themselves. The two stars represent two of our founders: @CrainTim and Steve Altemus. The Moon and the Earth, are brought together by Nova-C, and surrounded with a solid band representing our third founder, Kam Ghaffarian. Most importantly, the phrase 'Adtigo Planitia Lunae,' which (roughly) translates to 'Stick The Landing.'" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  7. ^ Kenneth Chang (February 26, 2024). "Odysseus Sends Moon Landing Photos Home With Time Running Out - The privately built American spacecraft's ability to send home images and other data has been limited by its sideways landing. On another part of the moon, a Japanese spacecraft woke up". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  8. ^ Kenneth Chang (February 22, 2024). "A U.S.-Built Spacecraft Lands on the Moon for the First Time Since 1972". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  9. ^ a b c Jeff Foust (February 28, 2024). "Intuitive Machines and NASA call IM-1 lunar lander a success as mission winds down". spacenews.com. Retrieved March 14, 2024.
  10. ^ "As Mission Ends, US Lunar Lander Could Still 'Wake' Back Up". Barron's. AFP. February 28, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  11. ^ Mike Wall (March 25, 2024). "Intuitive Machines' private Odysseus moon lander has 'permanently faded' on lunar surface as historic mission ends". Space.com. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  12. ^ "US Moon lander 'permanently' asleep after historic landing: Company". phys.org. March 25, 2024. Retrieved May 2, 2024.
  13. ^ Marcia Dunn (January 4, 2024). "Two companies will attempt the first US moon landings since the Apollo missions a half-century ago". www.apnews.com. Associated Press. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2024.
  14. ^ "Falcon 9 Block 5 - Nova C (IM-1)". nextspaceflight.com. December 19, 2023. Archived from the original on January 19, 2023. Retrieved December 20, 2023.
  15. ^ Steve Altemus (February 28, 2024). "Intuitive Machines Press Release" (PDF). Mindsviewpress.com. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  16. ^ Kenneth Chang (December 11, 2017). "Trump Announces That the Moon Is Astronauts' Next Destination". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 4, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  17. ^ Kenneth Chang (February 11, 2018). "NASA Budgets for a Trip to the Moon, but Not While Trump Is President". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 25, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  18. ^ Christian Davenport (February 11, 2018). "The Trump administration wants to turn the International Space Station into a commercially run venture, NASA document shows". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 21, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  19. ^ Kenneth Chang (November 29, 2018). "NASA Chooses Private Companies for Future Moon Landings". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 1, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  20. ^ Kenneth Chang (May 31, 2019). "NASA Hires 3 Companies for Moon Science Deliveries". The New York Times. Archived from the original on January 17, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  21. ^ Aaron McCrea (January 8, 2024). "Vulcan successfully launches Peregrine lunar lander on inaugural flight". NASASpaceflight.con. Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 8, 2024.
  22. ^ Jeff Foust (February 2, 2023). "NASA changes landing site for Peregrine lunar lander". spacenews.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 5, 2023.
  23. ^ Jackie Wattles; Kristin Fisher (January 8, 2024). "Peregrine mission abandons Moon landing attempt after suffering 'critical' fuel loss". www.cnn.com. CNN. Archived from the original on January 8, 2024. Retrieved January 9, 2024.
  24. ^ a b Kenneth Chang (February 13, 2024). "SpaceX Postpones Launch of Intuitive Machines Moon Mission". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  25. ^ a b c d Andrew Jones (February 22, 2024). "Here's what just landed on the moon aboard Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lander". Space.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  26. ^ William Harwood (February 14, 2024). "Houston company aims to return America to moon's surface with robot lander". www.cbsnews.com. CBS News. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  27. ^ William Harwood (February 15, 2024). "SpaceX launches private-sector lunar lander on trail-blazing flight to the moon". www.cbsnews.com. CBS News. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  28. ^ "Werk van Limburgse kunstenaar is met Amerikaanse lander Odysseus mee naar maan". Algemeen Dagblad (in Dutch). February 22, 2024. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  29. ^ "Het werk van deze Nederlander staat vanaf nu ook op de maan". NOS (in Dutch). February 22, 2024. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  30. ^ Selen Ozturk (April 12, 2022). "Jeff Koons to Launch First NFT Project to the Moon". Whitewall. Archived from the original on February 7, 2024. Retrieved February 7, 2024.
  31. ^ "Sculpture, Fallen Astronaut". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved July 17, 2014.
  32. ^ a b Jeff Koons (May 12, 2023). "Moon Phases". Pace. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  33. ^ "Lunar Library". Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  34. ^ Taylor Mulligan (February 23, 2024). "NASA assists in sending Rochester-made Lunar Library to the moon". WROC-TV. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  35. ^ Joe Lynch (February 26, 2024). "The 2024 Moon Landing Placed Music By Jimi Hendrix, Bob Marley, Elvis & More on the Lunar Surface". Billboard. Retrieved February 27, 2024.
  36. ^ Ellen Bausback (February 6, 2024). "NASA Tests New Spacecraft Propellant Gauge on Lunar Lander". www.nasa.gov. NASA. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  37. ^ a b c d e f Jennifer M. Dooren (February 23, 2024). "NASA Tech Contributes to Soft Moon Landing, Agency Science Underway". www.nasa.gov. NASA. Retrieved February 25, 2024. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  38. ^ "International Lunar Observatory Association, ILO-X Precursor Mission Details". International Lunar Observatory Association. September 21, 2023. Archived from the original on June 23, 2021. Retrieved November 12, 2020.
  39. ^ a b c d Natalia Riusech (February 13, 2024). "Six NASA Instruments Will Fly to Moon on Intuitive Machines Lander". www.nasa.gov. NASA. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  40. ^ a b Jeff Foust [@jeff_foust] (February 23, 2024). "The laser rangefinder did not work, Altemus said, because a safety switch was not flipped before flight (the equivalent of forgetting a "remove before flight" tag.)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  41. ^ "Radiowave Observations at the Lunar Surface of the photoElectron Sheath (ROLSES)". July 18, 2019. Archived from the original on January 11, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  42. ^ a b c "EagleCam CubeSat Camera System". Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. February 1, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  43. ^ "Galactic Legacy Labs – About Us". Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  44. ^ a b Jonathan Amos (February 23, 2024). "Intuitive Machines: Odysseus Moon lander 'tipped over on touchdown'". www.bbc.com. BBC. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  45. ^ a b NASA, Intuitive Machines Moon Mission Update on YouTube
  46. ^ Mike Wall (January 31, 2024). "SpaceX gearing up to launch private moon lander in February". Space.com. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  47. ^ Will Robinson-Smith (October 27, 2023). "Intuitive Machines targets launch to the Moon in mid-January". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on October 28, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  48. ^ Jeff Foust (February 13, 2024). "Intuitive Machines ready for launch of its first lunar lander". spacenews.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  49. ^ Kenneth Chang (February 14, 2024). "Odysseus, a Private Lunar Lander, Launches Toward the Moon". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  50. ^ Intuitive Machines Transmits First IM-1 Mission Images In Space Archived February 23, 2024, at the Wayback Machine Intuitivemachines.com. February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  51. ^ Will Robinson-Smith (February 13, 2024). "SpaceX, Intuitive Machines launches robotic lander to the Moon". Spaceflight Now. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  52. ^ a b Intuitive Machines [@Int_Machines] (February 17, 2024). "Intuitive Machines flight controllers successfully fired the first liquid methane and liquid oxygen engine in space, completing the IM-1 mission engine commissioning. This engine firing included a full thrust mainstage engine burn and throttle down-profile necessary to land on the Moon. 🧵(16FEB2024 2020 CST) 1/3" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  53. ^ "IM-1 Mission Vehicle Health Update" (PDF). intuitivemachines.com. Intuitive Machines. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  54. ^ a b "IM-1 Engine Maneuvers Update" (PDF). intuitivemachines.com. Intuitive Machines. February 19, 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on February 21, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  55. ^ David Dickinson (February 22, 2024). "A Lunar Odyssey: "Odie" Lander Touches Down on the Moon". skyandtelescope.org. Sky & Telescope. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  56. ^ "Planned Trajectory Correction Maneuvers Complete Ahead of Lunar Orbit Insertion". Intuitive Machines. February 20, 2024. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  57. ^ Mike Wall (February 21, 2024). "Intuitive Machines' private Odysseus lander snaps 1st moon photo, enters lunar orbit". Space.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  58. ^ a b c "IM-1 Mission Completes Lunar Orbit Insertion and Enters Lunar Orbit". Intuitive Machines. February 21, 2024. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  59. ^ Nilufar Ramji (February 22, 2024). "Intuitive Machines Updates IM-1 Landing Time, Carrying NASA Science". blogs.nasa.gov. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  60. ^ Tariq Malik (February 11, 2024). "How to watch SpaceX launch the private Intuitive Machines moon lander IM-1 on Feb. 15 live online". Space.com. Archived from the original on February 16, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  61. ^ Jeff Foust (October 3, 2023). "First Intuitive Machines lunar lander ready for launch". spacenews.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  62. ^ a b Elise Hammond; Jackie Wattles (February 22, 2024). "Odysseus mission aims to make historic moon landing". www.cnn.com. CNN. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  63. ^ a b c "Eagles Visit Intuitive Machines to Make Final Preparations on EagleCam CubeSat". Embry-Riddle Newsroom. January 25, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  64. ^ a b Michael Greshko (February 9, 2024). "Second Private U.S. Moon Lander Readies for Launch". Scientific American.
  65. ^ Space Technologies Lab [@SpaceTechLab] (February 28, 2024). "2/3 mission plans and procedures in order to deploy its CubeSat camera system. Despite the team's strong effort, the technical complications ultimately resulted in an inability to capture images of the Odysseus lander" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  66. ^ Jeff Foust (February 13, 2024). "Intuitive Machines ready for launch of its first lunar lander". spacenews.com. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  67. ^ Will Robinson-Smith [@w_robinsonsmith] (February 23, 2024). "In an update from @SpaceTechLab/@EmbryRiddle, the university says the EagleCam instrument was not deployed prior to descent to capture the touchdown of Odysseus" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  68. ^ Mike Cavaliere (February 28, 2024). "EagleCam Updates: Public Comments by Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus". Embry-Riddle Newsroom. Retrieved February 29, 2024.
  69. ^ "EagleCam". Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
  70. ^ Cheryl Warner (January 22, 2020). "First Commercial Moon Delivery Assignments to Advance Artemis". www.nasa.gov. NASA. Archived from the original on June 21, 2023. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  71. ^ "Intuitive Machines-1 Orbital Debris Assessment Report (ODAR) Revision 1.1" (PDF). Federal Communications Commission. April 22, 2021. Archived (PDF) from the original on April 24, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2021. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  72. ^ a b "Intuitive Machines Lunar Landing Site Moves to South Pole". blogs.nasa.gov. May 25, 2023. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  73. ^ Jeff Foust (February 7, 2023). "Intuitive Machines moves landing site of first mission to lunar south pole". spacenews.com. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 8, 2023.
  74. ^ Kenneth Chang (February 22, 2024). "The Spacecraft Odysseus Has Landed on the Moon". The New York Times. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 22, 2024.
  75. ^ Intuitive Machines-1 Lunar Landing (Official NASA Broadcast) on YouTube
  76. ^ Jackie Wattles; Ashley Strickland (February 22, 2024). "Historic Odysseus moon mission marks a milestone in reaching the lunar surface". www.cnn.com. CNN. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  77. ^ "Lunar Lander Feared to Have Tipped While Reaching the Moon". Yahoo Finance. Bloomberg. February 23, 2024. Archived from the original on February 23, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  78. ^ a b LIVE! IM-1 Mission Update Press Conference on YouTube
  79. ^ Greg Norman (February 15, 2024). "SpaceX rocket blasts off carrying Intuitive Machines' moon lander". Foxbusiness.com. Archived from the original on February 15, 2024. Retrieved February 15, 2024.
  80. ^ Kenneth Chang (March 4, 2024). "Why It's So Challenging to Land Upright on the Moon". The New York Times.
  81. ^ "Lunar Surface Day One Update". Intuitive Machines. February 23, 2024. Archived from the original on February 22, 2024. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  82. ^ Jackie Wattles (February 23, 2024). "Odysseus lunar lander is sideways on the moon after historic touchdown". CNN. Archived from the original on February 24, 2024. Retrieved February 24, 2024.
  83. ^ Jeff Foust (February 26, 2024). "Intuitive Machines expects early end to IM-1 lunar lander mission". spacenews.com.
  84. ^ "Odysseus Establishes Southernmost Landing Site, Maintains Communication with Earth, and Sends Additional Images" (PDF). Intuitive Machines.
  85. ^ Monisha Ravisetti (February 27, 2024). "Intuitive Machines' Odysseus moon lander beams home 1st photos from lunar surface". Space.com. Retrieved February 28, 2024.