IM-1

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IM-1
Nova-C Class IM-1 Odysseus in preparation for launch
Mission typeUncrewed lunar landing
OperatorIntuitive Machines
COSPAR ID2024-030A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.58963Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration7 days (elapsed)
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftNova-C
Spacecraft typeUncrewed Lunar lander
BusNova-C
ManufacturerIntuitive Machines
Launch mass1,900 kg (4,200 lb)
Payload mass100 kg (220 lb)
Dimensions3 m (9.8 ft)
Power200W
 

Intuitive Machines (IM) named their first lunar lander for the IM-1 mission as Odysseus.[1] 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."[2]

Selection

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.[3] After contract modifications, the total contract value came to US$118 million in 2024.[4] The first three Nova-C landers will be used for this program, 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.[5]

Launch of the IM-1 mission

Launch

On 31 January 2024 the Odysseus spacecraft was encapsulated in the payload fairing of its Falcon 9 Block 5 launch vehicle.[6] On 13 February, two wet dress rehearsals loading Odysseus with propellants were successful and IM announced that they were ready for launch.[7][8] SpaceX rescheduled the Odysseus launch from 14 February to February 15, reporting "non-nominal" temperature onboard the Odysseus methane tank.[9] Odysseus was launched at 1:05 AM EST on 15 February 2024.[10]

Lunar operations

Odysseus lander just after separation from its Falcon 9 launch vehicle.

The IM-1 Odysseus lander will take five to six days to reach lunar distance. 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 established communication with the lander and conducted initial checkouts. The lander was scheduled to perform a main engine “commissioning burn” on 15 February, later rescheduled to 16 February; Martin described it as a “critical step” for the mission.[11]

Early operations

  • On 15 February IM reported an issue with the IM-1 star tracker had delayed the commissioning burn.[12]
  • 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.[13]
  • On 17 February IM released photographic images captured by the spacecraft after separation from the launch vehicle.[14]

Commissioning maneuver

  • On 16 February IM reported a successful commissioning burn.[15] 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.[16][17]
  • The commissioning maneuver (CM) resulted in a 21 m/s (47 mph) change in the lander's velocity.[18]
  • On 18 February IM reported that the mission is still in good health and running on schedule. The Odysseus lander will soon be executing maneuvers for a lunar orbit insertion.[19]
  • On 19 February IM announced that it expected that Odysseus's upcoming lunar landing time would be 22:49 UTC (5:49 PM EST) Feb. 22.[20] The landing time was refined on the morning of February 22 to 23:24 UTC (6:24 PM EST) February 22.

Planned trajectory correction maneuvers

IM planned for up to three trajectory adjustment maneuvers during the trans-lunar phase of the mission.[15] The first was completed on 18 February.[18] After the second maneuver on 20 February, IM indicated there was no need for a third.

  • On 20 February IM reported that the Odysseus lander mission continues in good health and on schedule, and has now completed approximately 72% of its journey to the Moon's surface, having now traveled approximately 170,000 miles from the Earth. One positive indicator described by IM is the fact that the Odysseus lander has only had to use up two out of the three planned trajectory correction maneuvers that IM had originally anticipated would be required on the lander's journey to the Moon, and that no further planned trajectory correction maneuvers should be required on the trans-lunar portion of Odysseus's mission. Insertion of the lander into a lunar orbit is scheduled to take place on February 21.[21]
Animations of IM-1 trajectories
Around the Earth
Around the Moon
   IM-1  ·   Earth ·   Moon

Lunar orbit

Intuitive Machines Odysseus lander performed a scheduled lunar orbit insertion (LOI) maneuver on 21 February. The maneuver altered the velocity by 800 m/s (1,800 mph). IM reported the 408-second main engine LOI burn placed the lander in a 92 km (57 miles) circular lunar orbit.[22] On 22 February IM indicated a previously unannounced "lunar correction maneuver" had been conducted to raise the orbit.

The lander will now spend approximately 24 hours orbiting the Moon before its final descent to the lunar surface on 22 February.[23][24][25]

  • In the morning of 21 February IM reported that it had successfully completed its lunar orbit insertion maneuver, that the Odysseus lander's lunar orbital path is now approaching the final descent-orbit, and that the mission remains in good health and on schedule for a lunar landing on 22 February.[25]
  • Later in the day on 21 February the Odysseus lander sent back high resolution images of the lunar surface. IM also adjusted the descent burn parameters based on data from the lunar orbit insertion burn. IM reported that Odysseus continues to be in good health. IM described the risks undertaken during the lunar landing phase of the mission as being a "challenge."[25] In a later report the lunar lander was experiencing some issues with the sensors system, closer to making its descent to the surface. Teams on the ground were able to troubleshoot the issue by reprogramming Odysseus to rely on an experimental NASA payload on board, the Navigation Doppler Lidar.[26]

Lunar landing

Map showing location of the Malapert "satellite craters."

Intuitive Machines successfully landed IM-1 on the Moon on Thursday, 22 February, 2024 at 23:23 UTC (6:23 PM EST)[27]. After brief communications issues, the signal was acquired[28]. Both IM and NASA hosted identical livestream broadcasts of the Odysseus landing sequence.[29] The landing targeted the Malapert-A crater, about 300 km (190 mi) from the lunar south pole.[2][30] After it's successful soft landing, Odysseus became the first American spacecraft moon landing since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.[31]

A favored possible landing site in 2020 was between the Mare Serenitatis plain and the Mare Crisium plain.[32][33] 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.[34]

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.[34][35]

EagleCam to record lunar landing

Just before landing, at approximately 30 m (98 ft) above the lunar surface, the Odysseus lander will eject the EagleCam camera-equipped CubeSat, which will drop onto the lunar surface near the lander, with an impact velocity of about 10 m/s (22 mph). From the surface the EagleCam will attempt to capture the first third-person images of a lunar landing.[36] The EagleCam will use a Wi-Fi connection to the Odysseus lander to relay its images back to Earth.[37]

Payloads

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.[33][38] Odysseus is expected to land about a week after sunrise at Malapert-A and remain active until sunset about a week later.[39] The Odysseus lander is not designed to survive the lunar night, which lasts about two weeks.

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.[40][41] Koons describes Moon Phases as, "125 miniature Moon sculptures, each approximately one inch in diameter."[42]

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.[43]

Name Agency/Company Type
Nova-C Odysseus Intuitive Machines Lunar lander
* ILO-X [44] International Lunar Observatory Instrument
* Laser Retro-Reflector Array[45] NASA Instrument
* Navigation Doppler Lidar for Precise Velocity and Range Sensing[45] NASA Instrument
* Lunar Node 1 Navigation Demonstrator[45] NASA Instrument
* Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies[45] NASA Instrument
* Radiowave Observations at the Lunar Surface of the photoElectron Sheath (ROLSES)[46] NASA / University of Colorado Boulder Instrument
* Tiger Eye 1 [47] Louisiana State University Instrument
EagleCAM [37] Embry–Riddle Aeronautical University CubeSat
Lunaprise [48] Galactic Legacy Labs Memorial
Moon Phases[49] Pace Verso / 4Space / NFMoon Sculpture
  1. ^ SpaceX gearing up to launch Intuitive Machines private moon lander in February Space.com. By Mike Wall. Jan. 31, 2024. Retrieved Feb. 5, 2024.
  2. ^ a b IM-1 Mission Summary (pg 8) Intuitive Machines. By Josh Marshall. Dec. 31, 2023. Retrieved February 13, 2024.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference 77_million_contract was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference contract_modifications was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ Intuitive Machines Headed To The Moon In 2021 Archived 2019-06-02 at the Wayback Machine Space Mining News 30 November 2018
  6. ^ Wall, Mike (31 Jan 2024). "SpaceX gearing up to launch private moon lander in February". Space.com.
  7. ^ Robinson-Smith, Will (27 October 2023). "Intuitive Machines targets launch to the Moon in mid-January". Spaceflight Now.
  8. ^ Foust, Jeff. "Intuitive Machines ready for launch of its first lunar lander". SpaceNews. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  9. ^ Chang, Kenneth. "SpaceX Postpones Launch of Intuitive Machines Moon Mission". The New York Times. Retrieved 14 February 2024.
  10. ^ "NASA Artemis Science, First Intuitive Machines Flight Head to Moon". nasa.gov. 15 February 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  11. ^ Robinson-Smith, Will (13 February 2024). "SpaceX, Intuitive Machines launches robotic lander to the Moon". Spaceflight Now.
  12. ^ "IM-1 Mission Vehicle Health Update" (PDF). intuitivemachines.com. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
  13. ^ IM-1 Mission Engine Commissioning Update Intuitivemachines.com. February 16, 2024 3:00 PM EST. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
  14. ^ Intuitive Machines Transmits First IM-1 Mission Images In Space Intuitivemachines.com. February 17, 2024. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  15. ^ 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.
  16. ^ China beats US, Europe, India to launch 1st methane-powered rocket to space Indiatoday.in. July 12, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  17. ^ ZhuQue-2 launches on third flight Nasaspaceflight.com. By Adrian Beil. December 8, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  18. ^ a b "IM-1 Engine Maneuvers Update" (PDF). Intuitive Machines. 19 February 2024.
  19. ^ IM-1 Mission Maneuvers and Events Update Intuitivemachines.com. February 18, 2024. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  20. ^ IM Predicts Time of Lunar Landing Twitter.com. February 19, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
  21. ^ Planned Trajectory Correction Maneuvers Complete Ahead of Lunar Orbit Insertion Intuitivemachines.com. February 20 nine 2024. Retrieved February 20, 2024.
  22. ^ space.com
  23. ^ 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.
  24. ^ First Intuitive Machines lunar lander ready for launch By Jeff Foust. SpaceNews.com. October 3, 2023. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  25. ^ a b c IM-1 Mission Completes Lunar Orbit Insertion and Enters Lunar Orbit Intuitivemachines.com. February 21, 2024. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  26. ^ CNN Live Updates - Odysseus mission aims to make historic moon landing]
  27. ^ [https://twitter.com/NASA/status/1760811461943722132 @Int_Machines ' uncrewed lunar lander landed at 6:23pm ET (2323 UTC), bringing NASA science to the Moon's surface. These instruments will prepare us for future human exploration of the Moon under #Artemis.]
  28. ^ https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/22/world/moon-landing-intuitive-machines-nasa-scn/index.html
  29. ^ Cite error: The named reference landing_broadcast was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  30. ^ Intuitive Machines ... IM-1-NOVA Description NASA.gov. By Dr. Susan Lederer. Updated February 14, 2024. Retrieved February 14, 2024.
  31. ^ 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.
  32. ^ "First Commercial Moon Delivery Assignments to Advance Artemis". NASA. 22 Jan 2020.
  33. ^ 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.
  34. ^ a b Intuitive Machines Lunar Landing Site Moves to South Pole NASA.gov. May 25, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  35. ^ Foust, Jeff (7 February 2023). "Intuitive Machines moves landing site of first mission to lunar south pole". SpaceNews. Retrieved 8 February 2023.
  36. ^ Second Private U.S. Moon Lander Readies for Launch Scientific American. By Michael Greshko. Feb. 9, 2024. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  37. ^ a b "EagleCam". Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Daytona Beach, Florida.
  38. ^ "Media teleconference - Lunar Delivery Readiness for First Intuitive Machines Moon Flight". NASA. 13 February 2024. ( Page will play audio when loaded)
  39. ^ Cite error: The named reference techcrunch-20200413 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  40. ^ Ozturk, Selen (2022-04-12). "Jeff Koons to Launch First NFT Project to the Moon". Whitewall. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
  41. ^ "Sculpture, Fallen Astronaut". Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. Archived from the original on July 28, 2014. Retrieved 17 July 2014.
  42. ^ "Jeff Koons - Moon Phases". Pace. 12 May 2023.
  43. ^ Bausback, Ellen (6 Feb 2024). "NASA Tests New Spacecraft Propellant Gauge on Lunar Lander". NASA.
  44. ^ "International Lunar Observatory Association, ILO-X Precursor Mission Details". International Lunar Observatory Association. 21 September 2023. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  45. ^ a b c d "Six NASA Instruments Will Fly to Moon on Intuitive Machines Lander". nasa.gov. 13 February 2024. Retrieved 22 February 2024.
  46. ^ "Radiowave Observations at the Lunar Surface of the photoElectron Sheath (ROLSES)". 18 July 2019.
  47. ^ "LSU Goes to the Moon". Louisiana State University. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  48. ^ "Galactic Legacy Labs - About Us".
  49. ^ "Jeff Koons: Moon Phases | Pace Gallery". www.pacegallery.com. 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2024-02-07.
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