{"id":10179,"date":"2024-02-21T17:20:07","date_gmt":"2024-02-21T09:20:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/intuitive-machines-moon-lander-odysseus-reaches-lunar-orbit\/"},"modified":"2024-02-21T17:20:07","modified_gmt":"2024-02-21T09:20:07","slug":"intuitive-machines-moon-lander-odysseus-reaches-lunar-orbit","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/intuitive-machines-moon-lander-odysseus-reaches-lunar-orbit\/","title":{"rendered":"Intuitive Machines\u2019 Moon lander Odysseus reaches lunar orbit"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_65439\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-65439\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-65439\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240221_IM-1_update_lander_selfie.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"493\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240221_IM-1_update_lander_selfie.jpg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240221_IM-1_update_lander_selfie-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240221_IM-1_update_lander_selfie-678x381.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240221_IM-1_update_lander_selfie-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-65439\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A image of Intuitive Machines\u2019 Nova-C lander named \u2018Odysseus\u2019 captured by one of the spacecraft\u2019s onboard cameras. Image: Intuitive Machines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em><strong>Updated to include the new target landing time.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>Achieving a successful lunar landing becomes increasingly more tangible for the team at Intuitive Machines with each passing day since launch. On Wednesday, the Houston-based company announced that it was able to place its robotic lunar lander, named Odysseus, into a 92 km circular orbit around the Moon, clearing the way for a landing attempt on Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>In a social media post, Intuitive Machines said the lander\u2019s main engine burned for 408 seconds to complete the maneuver to enter orbit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cInitial data indicates the 800 [meters per second] burn was completed within 2 m\/s accuracy,\u201d the company stated. \u201cOver the next day, while the lander remains in lunar orbit, flight controllers will analyze the complete flight data and transmit imagery of the Moon.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"IM-1 Odysseus lander closes in on Moon landing\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/BrR91Uwwbc4?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>The mission thus far is helping to prove out the viability of a propulsion system powered by a combination of liquid oxygen and liquid methane. Trent Martin, the vice president of Space Systems for Intuitive Machines, said IM chose this propellant mixture for its main engine because the company believes it\u2019s \u201cthe future of this technology.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe second reason we chose it is because we can test it so easily. We test it in our flame range in Houston regularly. We\u2019ve done over 150 rocket fires on multiple iterations of this engine,\u201d Martin said in the run-up to the Feb. 15 launch. \u201cWe\u2019ve taken the engine that\u2019s sitting on that spacecraft, with that spacecraft, and fired it as a test fire to prove that that engine will light on the vehicle.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin and the team were able to give it a good in-space test when they performed a checkout burn called the \u201ccommissioning maneuver\u201d (CM). That was a 21-second, full-thrust firing of the main engine on Feb. 16.<\/p>\n<p>Originally, the CM was set to occur about 18 hours after launch, however, IM decided to delay that burn. It said the flight teams \u201cexperienced intermittent uplink and downlink data communications between Nova-C and the ground stations, potentially impacting our ability to collect the critical information required to support the CM burn and follow-on performance analysis.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Martin said prior to the IM-1 launch that getting through this milestone would be a big sigh of relief.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt takes the stress level down a little bit. It brings the probability of success up a little bit,\u201d Martin said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Odysseus completed its scheduled 408-second main engine lunar orbit insertion burn and is currently in a 92 km circular lunar orbit. Initial data indicates the 800 m\/s burn was completed within 2 m\/s accuracy. \ud83e\uddf51\/4 (21FEB2024 0920 CST) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ZoFStQD3cX\" rel=\"nofollow\">pic.twitter.com\/ZoFStQD3cX<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/Int_Machines\/status\/1760323743270756500?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" rel=\"nofollow\">February 21, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h4>Moment of truth<\/h4>\n<p>The biggest test for the landing is coming up on Thursday when IM flight teams command Odysseus to exit its circular lunar orbit and make its landing attempt. Martin said the lander\u2019s engine went through extensive throttle testing to make sure it was ready for the big day.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s extremely important because as you go to land on the surface of the Moon, you\u2019re going to lose two-thirds of the mass that you started with, you\u2019re going to lose it as you burn it up,\u201d Martin explained. \u201cSo, you have to be able to throttle back that engine to a much lower level than the 100 percent that you started with.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cBut being able to take that engine and run it that entire time means that you never turn your engine off. So you never have that fear that \u2018is it going to light that next time?\u2019 because it\u2019s lit and it stays lit all the way to the surface. And that\u2019s what makes the technology that we\u2019re flying different than some of our competitors have.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_65343\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-65343\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-65343\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240213_Nova-C_engine_testing.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"494\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240213_Nova-C_engine_testing.jpg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240213_Nova-C_engine_testing-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240213_Nova-C_engine_testing-678x381.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240213_Nova-C_engine_testing-768x433.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-65343\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Intuitive Machines performing a firing test of its the 900 lbf thrust class VR900 engine, which will power the Nova-C lander. Image: Intuitive Machines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>That final burn will not only slow down Odysseus to prepare it for landing, but teams will also reorient the spacecraft to shift from a somewhat horizontal position into a vertical one for descent.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe will perform a descent orbit insertion where our terrain relative navigation device will help us perform our powered descent initiation, a pitch over of our main engine where our main engine will fire as we do our hazard detection avoidance and vertical descent, terminal descent and landing on the Moon,\u201d Martin explained in a pre-launch press conference.<\/p>\n<p>He said that the autonomous landing sequence and the descent orbital insertion (DOI) occurs about an hour before the landing. Touchdown at Malapert A, a crater about 10 degrees from Moon\u2019s south pole, is scheduled for 6:24 p.m. EST (2324 UTC) on Thursday, Feb. 22.<\/p>\n<p>Once on the lunar surface, Martin said they expect Odysseus to operate for seven days before lunar night arrives and the lander loses power as it is enveloped in cold darkness.<\/p>\n<h4>Shot on goal<\/h4>\n<p>This landing attempt marks a big next step for NASA\u2019s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. The agency paid just under $118 million for IM to fly six of its science instruments to the Moon\u2019s surface. NASA spent under $11 million to develop and build them prior to their integration on the lander.<\/p>\n<p>One of the tools, the Radio Frequency Mass Gauge (RFMG), has been working along the flight path to the Moon to assess the propellant levels within the lander. Joel Kearns, the deputy associate administrator for NASA\u2019s Science Mission Directorate, said it will be important to learn how to monitor fuel levels for future deep space missions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen you\u2019re just up in space and microgravity, when you\u2019re not propulsively thrusting, the liquid fuel and oxidizer doesn\u2019t necessarily go to the bottom of the tank where it would on a car, where you could just pull it into the engine,\u201d Kearns said. \u201cYou have to find a way to get it there and you have to find a way to know how much do you have left based on what you use, other than just measuring how much you pull out versus how much you put in it originally.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_65344\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-65344\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-65344\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240213_IM-1-Mission-Success-Criteria.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"493\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240213_IM-1-Mission-Success-Criteria.jpg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240213_IM-1-Mission-Success-Criteria-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240213_IM-1-Mission-Success-Criteria-678x381.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240213_IM-1-Mission-Success-Criteria-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-65344\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An infographic of the flightpath for Intuitive Machines\u2019 Nova-C lander. Graphic: Intuitive Machines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The IM-1 mission is the second CLPS venture attempting Moon landing so far. Last month, Astrobotic\u2019s Peregrine lunar lander failed to reach the Moon after it encountered an issue with its propulsion system.<\/p>\n<p>Both Astrobotic and IM have other CLPS missions planned for later this year. Martin said they are currently working with NASA to determine the precise landing location for their next mission: IM-2.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re landing probably on the Shackleton Connecting Ridge, which is right, as close as you can get to the South Pole without landing right on the Shackleton Rim, which would be really difficult to land on,\u201d Martin said. \u201cThere are points on that ridge where you get a lot of light, but maybe the next year, you don\u2019t get light in that same spot, so you have to move a couple hundred meters this way or a couple hundred meters that way.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cSo, we\u2019ve been trying to negotiate on that exact site. Once we get that, then we can pick the landing dates and times. Our goal is fourth quarter of this year for that next mission and then the follow-on mission will follow that, based on that second one going in fourth quarter of this year.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>That mission will feature a partnership with Nokia, which will debut what it calls \u201cthe first cellular network on the Moon\u201d as part of NASA\u2019s Tipping Point initiative.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_65446\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-65446\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-65446\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240221_IM-2_render.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"493\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240221_IM-2_render.jpg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240221_IM-2_render-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240221_IM-2_render-678x381.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/20240221_IM-2_render-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-65446\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A render of the lander that will be used on Intuitive Machines\u2019 IM-2 mission. Nokia\u2019s LTE\/4G network will be integrated into both the lander and a Lunar Outpost MAPP rover. Graphic: Intuitive Machines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A image of Intuitive Machines\u2019 Nova-C lander named \u2018Odysseus\u2019 captured by one of the spacecraft\u2019s onboard cameras. Image: Intuitive Machines Updated to include the new target landing time. Achieving a successful lunar landing becomes increasingly more tangible for the team at Intuitive Machines with each passing day since launch. On Wednesday, the Houston-based company announced [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[322,1455,1451,503,625,1111,1453],"class_list":["post-10179","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-clps","tag-commercial-lunar-payload-services","tag-im-1","tag-intuitive-machines","tag-moon","tag-nova-c","tag-odysseus"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10179"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10179"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10179\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10179"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10179"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10179"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}