IM-2

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This article is about the 2024 lunar landing mission IM-2 (disambiguation). For other uses, see IM-2 (disambiguation).

NamesIM-2
CLPS-3
Mission typeLunar landing
OperatorIntuitive Machines
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeNova-C
ManufacturerIntuitive Machines
Lunar lander
← IM-1
IM-3 →
 

IM-2 is an upcoming lunar mission that will be carried out in 2024 jointly by a partnership between the NASA CLPS program and Intuitive Machines (IM), using an Nova-C lunar lander.[1]


Background and selection[edit]

The IM-1 mission in February 2024 followed the Peregrine mission by Astrobotic Technology, which launched in January 2024. 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.[2] The IM-1 Odysseus's "rough" soft Moon landing was the first soft lunar landing of any kind for an American-made spacecraft since Apollo 17 in 1972.[3] Setting the stage for IM-2 to launch some time in Q4 of 2024.[4]

Mission hardware[edit]

Main article: Intuitive Machines Nova-C

The primary payload, PRIME-1, includes the TRIDENT ice drill to sample ice from below the lunar surface and the MSolo mass spectrometer to measure the amount of ice in the samples.[5][6] 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.[7] A lunar communications satellite will be deployed on this mission to facilitate communications between the lander and ground stations on Earth.[8] Spaceflight will deliver rideshare payloads on this mission aboard its Sherpa EScape (Sherpa-ES) space tug called Geo Pathfinder.[9][10]

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.[11][12]

Space technology company Lunar Outpost will send their first lunar rover, the Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP), on this mission in a partnership with Nokia Bell Labs and IM. MAPP will collect lunar samples for NASA under a contract worth just $1, which is symbolic of a new incentive for the emerging commercial space industry to access resources in space.[13][14] MAPP will have a mass of 5-10 kilograms, a payload mass of up to 15 kilograms, and a top speed of 10cm/s.[15][16] On its multi-day journey, the rover will autonomously map the lunar surface, capture stereo images and thermal data, and inspect samples of lunar regolith in a special bin mounted in its wheels. Photos of the samples and other data will be transmitted through radio equipment and antennas to communicate with the Nova-C lander.[17][18] MAPP will snap 3D images and record videos using the RESOURCE camera, developed by MIT. It will also deploy MIT's AstroAnt, a miniature rover the size of a matchbox, to conduct contactless temperature measurements as it drives around on MAPP's roof.[13][18][19][20]

A collaboration in order to demonstrate 4G cellular connectivity, in partnership with Nokia Bell Labs and NASA will be aboard the lander.[21] Nokia's equipment is a Network-In-a-Box and will connect the Nova-C lander with Lunar Outpost's MAPP rover and IM's Micro-Nova Hopper. This 4G/LTE network will provide more bandwidth than the more conventional ultra-high frequency (UHF) systems used for space communication. Nokia says they hope that future missions will use shared infrastructure to interlink bases on the lunar surface.

Mission events[edit]

Prior to launch[edit]

In May 2024 the company announced the IM-2 was entering the final assembly stage.[22]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "NASA - NSSDCA - Spacecraft - Details". nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  2. ^ Foust, Jeff (January 20, 2024). "Astrobotic to begin formal investigation into failed Peregrine mission". SpaceNews. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  3. ^ "Intuitive Machines calls IM-1 a successful moon-landing mission". mynews13.com. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  4. ^ Gamillo, Elizabeth (March 29, 2024). "The IM-2 Moon mission will carry a blend of science and art". Astronomy Magazine. Retrieved May 9, 2024.
  5. ^ "NASA – NSSDCA – Spacecraft – Details". Archived from the original on May 24, 2022. Retrieved July 18, 2022.
  6. ^ Brown, Katherine (October 16, 2020). "NASA Selects Intuitive Machines to Land Water-Measuring Payload on the Moon". NASA. Archived from the original on October 18, 2020. Retrieved November 15, 2020. Public Domain This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  7. ^ "The ILO Mission – ILOA Hawai'i". April 7, 2021. Archived from the original on November 3, 2021. Retrieved September 22, 2023.
  8. ^ "Intuitive Machines to Deploy and Operate First Lunar Communication Satellite in 2022". Intuitive Machines. June 21, 2021. Archived from the original on June 21, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  9. ^ "IM-2 South Pole Mission Adds Secondary Rideshare Spaceflight Inc". Intuitive Machines. August 18, 2021. Archived from the original on August 18, 2021. Retrieved August 18, 2021.
  10. ^ "Spaceflight Inc announces rideshare mission to the moon and geostationary orbit". nasaspaceflight.com. September 15, 2021. Archived from the original on September 14, 2021. Retrieved September 15, 2021.
  11. ^ "Advacam – MiniPIX TPX3 Space". Archived from the original on November 1, 2023. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  12. ^ "LSU's Tiger Eye-1 to Monitor Radiation Environment in Deep Space". Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved November 2, 2023.
  13. ^ a b Johnson, Arianna (November 9, 2022). "MIT Will Return To The Moon For The First Time Since Apollo, Thanks To This Space Startup". Forbes. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  14. ^ Thorbecke, Catherine (December 5, 2020). "NASA will pay a firm $1 to go to the moon and get a sample". ABC News. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  15. ^ "Rovers". Lunar Outpost. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  16. ^ Alamalhodaei, Aria (July 14, 2022). "Lunar Outpost eyes up first-mover advantage for moon markets". TechCrunch. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  17. ^ "An inside look at Nokia's Moon mission - images". Nokia. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  18. ^ a b "An inside look at Nokia's Moon mission". Nokia. July 25, 2023. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  19. ^ "AstroAnt". MIT Media Lab. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  20. ^ Waldek, Stefanie (April 30, 2024). "Private moon lander will carry Nokia's 4G cell network to the lunar surface this year". Space.com. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  21. ^ Bantock, Jack (April 24, 2024). "Streaming and texting on the Moon: Nokia and NASA are taking 4G into space | CNN Business". CNN. Retrieved April 27, 2024.
  22. ^ https://twitter.com/Int_Machines/status/1787845786916528621. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to IM-2.
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