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The spacecraft, known as Odysseus, is currently en route to the Moon, embarking on an eight-day journey with plans for a landing on Thursday, February 22. Odysseus carries a total of twelve payloads, six of which will go towards NASA’s scientific and research efforts. and six commercial payloads. These payloads cover a variety of topics, including plume-surface interactions, space weather, radio astronomy, precision landing technologies, and a communications and navigation node intended to advance future autonomous navigation technologies.
For NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, the mission aims to deliver scientific payloads to the surface of the moon. Source: SpaceX
The mission is a milestone for both SpaceX and Intuitive Machines, as well as for NASA, which has paid Intuitive Machines about $118 million for the mission under the CLPS program. This is the second lunar mission to be embarked under the CLPS program, after Astrobotic’s Peregrine mission failed to reach the moon due to a propulsion leak last month.
The Nova-C lander is expected to land near the Malapert A crater, near the moon’s south pole. The lander will use liquid oxygen and liquid methane as propellants, which are difficult to store but very efficient. The lander will perform several maneuvers to adjust its trajectory and enter a 100-kilometer lunar orbit, before attempting the final descent. The lander will have to reduce its speed by about 1,800 meters per second and reduce it to a rate of one meter per second for the last 10 kilometers.
The Nova C lander is expected to land at the moon’s south pole, near the Malapert crater. Source: SpaceX
Success for the company would mean the first landing of a US spacecraft on the Moon since 1972 and the first achievement of a privately developed spacecraft landing on lunar soil. Additionally, this mission will serve as a showcase for the capabilities of the Nova-C lander, a specialized class of lunar landers designed by Intuitive Machines to transport small commercial payloads to the surface of the moon.
The mission is part of NASA’s broader Artemis campaign, which aims to return humans to the Moon by 2028 and establish a sustainable presence there. NASA plans to use the CLPS program to send multiple robotic missions to the moon, carrying various scientific instruments and technology demonstrations, to prepare for human exploration. The CLPS program also aims to foster the development of the commercial lunar market and encourage innovation and competition in the space industry.
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The launch and landing of the Nova-C lander will be broadcast live on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app and the agency’s website. The public can also submit questions on social media using #AskNASA