NASA and Intuitive Machines declare IM-1 lunar lander mission a success
Posted: Sat, Mar 2, 2024, 10:00 AM ET (1500 GMT)
Both NASA and Intuitive Machines have declared the IM-1 lunar lander mission a success. The company said Wednesday that it expected to conclude operations of the lander later in the day as the sun moved out of view of the lander's solar arrays. Despite a hard landing that broke at least one lander leg and caused the spacecraft to tip over to about 30 degrees off the ground, the company said it was able to operate most of the payloads on the lander. That included all five active NASA payloads, the agency said. A student-built payload, intended to eject from the lander and take images of it, did deploy Wednesday but was not able to return any images. The company said it will try again in a few weeks to make contact with the lander to see if its batteries and electronics survived the cold conditions of the two-week lunar night.
Both NASA and Intuitive Machines have declared the IM-1 lunar lander mission a success. The company said Wednesday that it expected to conclude operations of the lander later in the day as the sun moved out of view of the lander's solar arrays. Despite a hard landing that broke at least one lander leg and caused the spacecraft to tip over to about 30 degrees off the ground, the company said it was able to operate most of the payloads on the lander. That included all five active NASA payloads, the agency said. A student-built payload, intended to eject from the lander and take images of it, did deploy Wednesday but was not able to return any images. The company said it will try again in a few weeks to make contact with the lander to see if its batteries and electronics survived the cold conditions of the two-week lunar night.
Related Links:
| <<previous article | next article>> |
|
news in brief
|
|
SpaceX sets Nov. 18 launch date for sixth Starship test flight
Posted: Sat, Nov 9 9:57 AM ET (1457 GMT) |
|
news links
|
|
Friday, November 15
Sierra Space and DoE’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory Revolutionizing Thermal Protection for a New Generation of Commercial Space Transportation Vehicles
Sierra Space — 6:20 am ET (1120 GMT) 1st Space Brigade bolsters tactical interoperability, integration with UK visit
US Army — 6:17 am ET (1117 GMT) US the greatest threat to space security and the biggest instigator of space arms race: Chinese Defense Ministry
Global Times — 6:17 am ET (1117 GMT) Rocket Lab to Launch Satellite Constellation Missions from Wallops Island
WBOC-TV Delmarva — 6:15 am ET (1115 GMT) AST SpaceMobile Announces Launch Services Agreements to Enable Continuous Space-Based Cellular Broadband Service Coverage
Business Wire — 6:14 am ET (1114 GMT) |
