Category Archives: Intuitive Machines

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 14-17 Oct 2022

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2023 Lunar Missions on the Horizon as Artemis 1 Flyby and M1 Lander Preparing for Launches

NASA and ispace poised for 2022 Moon flyby / robotic landing, while several missions now targeting 2023; Astrobotic, Intuitive Machines, ISRO, JAXA to launch Peregrine, Nova-C and Chandrayaan-3, SLIM landers NET Q1; Roscosmos plans Luna-25 launch via Soyuz-2.1b NET Q3; Also within 2023 Intuitive Machines striving to launch IM-2 mission including first satellite of lunar data relay ‘Khonstellation’, μNova hopper, SHERPA-ES tug, Orbit Fab Tanker-002 in-space fuel depot; Rocket Factory Augsburg to begin deployment of Harmony cislunar constellation; SpaceX to take Yusaku Maezawa and 8 selected crew, 1-2 professional astronauts on dearMoon lunar flyby with Starship

Credits: ISRO, SpaceX, RFA, dearMoon

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 7-10 Oct 2022

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Stalwart Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Continues to Contribute to Cutting Edge Moon Science and Exploration

Team led by Vishnu Viswanathan of NASA Goddard Space Flight Center manipulate LOLA data to determine effect of asteroid impacts that created 5,200 Moon craters 20–1,200m in diameter over 4.25B years on True Polar Wander; Modeling suggests 10° / 300km variance, with implications for polar water ice location; LRO also actively in use for commercial exportation initiatives – in calibration testing of Intuitive Machines Lunar Telemetry and Tracking Network, set to support IM-1 mission NET Q1 2023 and in upcoming test of Cislunar Autonomous Positioning System on CAPSTONE

Credits: NASA, Advanced Space

Tuesday / 2 Aug 2022

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First USA Mission to Lunar Far Side May Be Conducted via CLPS Program in 2025

Draper Laboratory to carry 3 NASA instruments to Schrödinger basin (75.0°S, 132.4°E) on lunar far side NET 2025 under 8th CLPS task order / US$73M contract; 2 Blue Canyon cislunar relay satellites to be deployed prior to landing and operated by Advanced Space; Draper team includes ispace, General Atomics, Systima Technologies; First USA mission to target lunar far side would mark 2nd nation to explore hemisphere after China; Anchor payloads include Lunar Surface ElectroMagnetics Experiment (LuSEE), Lunar Interior Temperature and Materials Suite (LITMS), Farside Seismic Suite (FSS)

Credits: NASA, Draper Labs

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 29 July – 1 Aug 2022

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Summer Around Moon Continues with Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter Launching 4 Aug

NASA Capstone performing nominally on voyage to Moon with trajectory correction maneuver 3 expected to be performed by Advanced Space in early September, reach NRHO NET 13 Nov; KPLO Danuri targeting 4 Aug launch on SpaceX F9 from KSC; NASA Artemis 1 prepping for 29 Aug launch to DRO; Autumn landers include ispace Hakuto-R carrying UAE Rashid rover on track for Nov launch to Lacus Somniorum (37.56°N, 30.8°E) with US$37M cash infusion from consortium of Japan banks; Astrobotic Peregrine and Intuitive Machines Nova-C CLPS landers racing to land on Moon before EOY

Credits: NASA, KARI, IM, Astrobotic, Lockheed Martin

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 22-25 July 2022

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International Teams Prepare for Summer Around the Moon, Autumn on Lunar Surface

KARI KPLO / Danuri launching on SpaceX F9 to Moon orbit 2 Aug from KSC, arrival at 100-km lunar orbit expected 1 Jan 2023; NASA mega rocket SLS / Orion crew capsule Artemis 1 mission targeting 29 Aug, 2 Sep or 5 Sep for launch to 100-km Moon flyby / 61,155-km Distant Retrograde Orbit; ispace Hakuto-R Mission 1 aiming for November launch, Astrobotic striving to launch Peregrine lander within Q4, Intuitive Machines Nova-C may launch Dec 2022 or Jan 2023; Roscosmos Luna-25 and ISRO Chandrayaan-3 likely delayed to 2023

Credits: KARI, NASA, ispace

Friday / 24 June 2022

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NASA Adds Lunar Flashlight & Trailblazer to IM-1/2 Manifests, Studying Moon Fission

6U, 14kg JPL cubesat Lunar Flashlight, formerly to launch with Artemis 1, now riding with CLPS mission Intuitive Machines-1 scheduled for 22 Dec 2022 launch; Flashlight to scout for water ice with 4 near-IR lasers while demonstrating ‘green’ propellant AF-M315E; 200kg Lunar Trailblazer moved from IMAP rideshare NET 2025 to IM-2, scheduled for mid-2023 launch; Trailblazer to utilize HVM3 spectrometer based on M3, with sufficient resolution to identify hydroxl vs molecular water, and Lunar Thermal Mapper; IX (IM + X-Energy) teamed with Maxar & Boeing to study lunar nuclear power, receiving $5M DOE award for ~1 year study along with Lockheed Martin, Westinghouse awardees

Credits: NASA, IM, JPL, Caltech

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 10-13 June 2022

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NASA Moon Orbiter Awaiting New Launch Window as CLPS Providers Race to Achieve Moon Landings

While CAPSTONE is fueled and integrated with Photon spacecraft bus within Electron fairing at Rocket Lab Launch Complex 1 on Māhia NZ, new mission schedule is pending per NASA PAO; When launched Capstone to travel 1,549,798km from Earth before settling into NRHO; Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines working to land by EOY; Image of BE-4 flight engine shared by ULA CEO raises hopes for Vulcan Centaur readiness but 2022 integration / launch of Peregrine doubtful; IM welcomes Lunar Flashlight cubesat as co-payload on Falcon 9 launch nominally set for 22 Dec

Credits: NASA, Rocket Lab, Tory Bruno / Twitter

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 20-23 May 2022

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Lunar Exploration / Science Missions Working Toward Orbit, Surface Landings In 2022

NASA CAPSTONE Moon probe launching on Rocket Lab Electron / Photon interplanetary kick stage is set to depart Earth NET 31 May, spending 6 days accelerating to 39,429 kph in LEO for 4-month fuel-sipping journey to test NRHO; Artemis 1 set for August per Administrator Nelson, however launch opportunities extend to 2023; KARI KPLO heading for lunar orbit 1 Aug, will broadcast K-pop; Roscosmos Luna-25 targeting 22 August while CLPS providers Intuitive Machines, Astrobotic and ispace of Japan strive to land on Moon within year

 

Credits: NASA, IM, Astrobotic, Draper, KARI

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 22-25 April 2022

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2022 Moon Missions Preview: CAPSTONE Could Lead Way on 3 May

Launch window opening 3 May for CAPSTONE orbiter still on schedule; Artemis-1 SLS / Orion / 10 CubeSat launch now likely July-August; Intuitive Machines Nova-C cradle (built by Caldwell Group) to transport lunar lander to KSC arrives in Houston for testing / launch windows for IM-1 & IM-2 announced ‘soon’; Astrobotic Peregrine flight model to have solar panels, fuel tanks, engines installed – launch late 2022; Luna-25 ‘later this year’; Japan ispace lander end of 2022 via SpaceX, SLIM pushed to March 2023; Korea Pathfinder 1 August Launch; ISRO Somanath puts doubt on Chandrayaan-3 launch in 2022

Credits: Advanced Space / Jason Johnson, IM, Astrobotic, ispace, ISRO

Weekend Edition
Fri-Mon / 8-11 April 2022

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2022 Moon Fleet Preparations Continue in USA and Around the World

NASA SLS Mega Moon Rocket set to resume WDR at KSC Launch Pad 39B as Axiom-1 private mission heads to ISS on Crew Dragon Endeavour; 12U cubesat CAPSTONE to test near-rectilinear halo lunar orbit with Rocket Lab launch window opening 3 May at Mahia, NZ; Intuitive Machines 1st lander aims for NET June launch; Roscosmos Luna-25 lander on track for 23 July launch from Vostochny after Doppler radar-based landing system test success; ISRO Chandrayaan-3 lander and Korea Pathfinder Lunar Orbiter NET Aug; Intuitive Machines still set to deliver TRIDENT drill / MSolo spectrometer NLT December

 

Credits: NASA