Cape Canaveral, Fla. – Athena Lunar Private Lander is on the way to the moon.
A Expedal Falcon 9 rocket rose in the evening (February 26), Athena and NASA’s tour, Lunar Trailblarer Orbiter against a dark sky with Orbiter Orbiter Aloft Kennedy Space Center (KSC).
Athenea – Built by Houston-based Space Company Intuitive machines – The NASA science instrument takes 10, many of which are designed to hunt water signs of water. Lunar Trailblazers will do a similar job. That’s a great priority for NASA, which aims to establish one or more human settlements Moon through Artemis program.
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“I am very happy to see our technology demonstrations while preparing humanity’s return and travel Brand“Nashy Fox, Associated Administrator of the NASA Science Mission Management, said in a summary of today’s prelaunchy.
A Falcon 9 It has been launched at 7:15 p.m. 39A to launch KSC this afternoon. 8.5 minutes later, the first stage of the rocket returned to the ground as the SpaceX gravitas draineship was planned. This was the ninth launch and landing on Falcon 9 Booster (B1083) Help the IM-2 mission.
Falcon 9 left the upper stage. It Spread Athena It will last about 43.5 minutes in Translunar injection, for 43.5 minutes, Lifoff and Lunar Trailblazer four minutes later, as planned.
Athens’s mission is called IM-2, it is a second launch to the moon for many years for intuitive machines. IM-2 NASA Moon Trade Payload Services (CLPS) program, which seeks trading partnerships to provide science and technology tools Moon.
Athena’s ambitious missions have an abundance of water ice and other resources next to the south pole of the moon, and the opportunity for future missions Use these resources For sustainable livelihood in space – the process known as the use of in-situ resources (ISru). To meet all the objectives of IM-2, Lander has two vehicles: MAPP (Mobile Rover called Mobile Platform). Colorado company lunar outpost and grace, “Hopper” built intuitive robots around the landing site through the landing site through the region.
IM-2 The first historical mission of intuitive machines follows IM-1 more than a year. Im-1 lander “Odes“It was launched in February 2024, Odysseus managed to go to the surface, but as a result, the spaceship antenna was blocked, prevented the transmission of some data that NASA expected. Collection.
“This time, we hope to land in a more specific position,” Trent Martin, Vice President of the Intuitive Machines Space Systems, said Space before launch.
Athenea is headed by the Moon Mons Mouton region, where scientists believe that there is enough amount of water deposits for Isru research. If all is planned, it reaches four to five days from now onwards.
The main scientific package of Lander is called Prime-1 (short polar resource Ice mining experiment 1). It has two separate instruments: explores the spectrum of mass spectrometers (Msolo) that observe new land (Msolo) operations.
This duo will work together to study the sample recovered under the surface of the moon. Trident will take a depth of 3 meters (1 meter) and Msosto will test this sample for composites such as water and carbon dioxide.
IM-2 HOPPER – NOMINED “Grace“After a pioneering Grace Hopper of Scientists and Mathematicians, Athena’s landing area is designed to explore almost 1 mile (1.6 kilometers).
Grace will be linked from one location to another using his thrusters, inertial measurement, star tracker, lidar and situalty camera. One of Graco’s main goals will be the eternal shade of a nearby crater – the wheeled rover cannot explore the type of environment in the environment.
The cratering floor will be out of line of grace, usually should talk to the nearby athens. MapP Rover will close this communication gap because it is equipped with what will be the first cellular network of the moon.
The MAPP will open on the surface of the Moon, to test high-speed capabilities of high-speed communication system (LSC). The LSCS Nokia Bell Labs developed and were designed to be used already used, used in existing 4G / LTE networks.
Athena is also equipped with a laser retro-reflective array (LRA). Lander has eight attached mirrors, designed to test the reflection of Laser Light, to allow spaceships to compare and approach the location of the location. The concept is similar to reflective of a track that will help drive landing aircraft, and LRA can work without requiring mechanical power or control.
Lunar Trailblaer, on the other hand, will make the way to the lunar orbs, where water deposits will begin to emerge. NASA probe data Athena’s instruments, especially 1. They will form the first posts, scientists said.
“This will give us the findings of the Prime-1 mission in context and see the main researchers in the Moon” Lunar Trailblargo researchers Bethany Ehlmann said Space.com before the lift.
Nasa originally bought the IM-2 mission for $ 47 million. This amount has risen to $ 62.5 million due to many changes required by space agencies, according to Joel Kearns, according to the Exploration of the NASA Science Mission Manager, such as Athena’s ship temperature data.
“Under this contract value, we have the opportunity to purchase intuitive temperature data, if you do not pay for a piece of equipment, rather than pay the only information available, as a result of this particular commercial mission,” Kearns explained.
Once Athena arrives in Lunar OrbitIt will not be alone. IM-2 and Lunar Trailblazer are the third and fourth missions on the moon in 2025. Firefly Aerospace Ghosts made in the sky’s mission and Japan-based Ispace’s Resolve Lander both headed to the moon in January, with firefighters Blue ghosts scheduled to the ground A few days before Athenea.
This mission flies under the Umbrella of the NASA CLPS and will provide numerous loads on NASA science and technology to the moon surface. Resilience is not flying payable, but the space agency has contracted Ispace to collect NASA moon powder (moon dust), although it will not be able to return the property of the sample today.
Athena and Lunar Trailblazer were not the only spacecraft that went to Falcon 9 space today. Rocket loofed too EarthyThe asteroid mining company built by the asteroid mining company and the spaceship built by Chimera Geo 1, a manifested orbital transfer vehicle through the epic aerospace.
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