Moon Bound Technology. NASA is sending revolutionary technologies to the Moon aboard Intuitive Machines’ second lunar delivery as part of the agency’s CLPS initiative.
A view of the Moon from Earth, zooming up to IM-2's landing site at Mons Mouton, which is visible in amateur telescopes.NASA is sending revolutionary technologies to the Moon aboard Intuitive Machines’ second lunar delivery as part of the agency’s As part of this CLPS flight to the Moon, NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate will test novel technologies to learn more about what lies beneath the lunar surface, explore its challenging terrain, and improve in-space communication.
The launch window for Intuitive Machines’ second CLPS delivery, IM-2, opens no earlier than Wednesday, Feb. 26 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. After the Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C class lunar lander reaches Mons Mouton, a lunar plateau near the Moon’s South Pole region, it will deploy several NASA and commercial technologies including a drill and mass spectrometer, a new cellular communication network, and a small drone that will survey difficult terrain before returning valuable data to Earth. Caption: The Intuitive Machines lunar lander that will deliver NASA science and technology to the Moon as part of the agency’s CLPS initiative and Artemis campaign is encapsulated in the fairing of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.Here are five things to know about this unique mission to the Moon, the technologies we are sending, and the teams making it happen! IM-2’s landing site is known as one of the flatter regions in the South Pole region, suitable to meet Intuitive Machines’ requirement for a lit landing corridor and acceptable terrain slope. The landing location was selected by Intuitive Machines using data acquired by NASA’s An illustration of Mons Mouton, a mesa-like lunar mountain that towers above the landscape carved by craters near the Moon’s South Pole., is a suite of two instruments – a drill and mass spectrometer – designed to demonstrate our capability to look for ice and other resources that could be extracted and used to produce propellant and breathable oxygen for future explorers. The PRIME-1 technology will dig up to about three feet below the surface into the lunar soil where it lands, gaining key insight into the soil’s characteristics and temperature while detecting other resources that may lie beneath the surface. Data from the PRIME-1 technology demonstration will be made available to the public following the mission, enabling partners to accelerate the development of new missions and innovative technologies. Upon landing on the lunar surface, two commercial Tipping Point technology demonstrations will be deployed near Intuitive Machines’ lander, Tipping Points are collaborations between NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate and industry that foster the development of commercial space capabilities and benefit future NASA missions. The first is a small hopping drone developed by Intuitive Machines. The hopper, named Grace, will deploy as a secondary payload from the lander and enable high-resolution surveying of the lunar surface, including permanently shadowed craters around the landing site. Grace is designed to bypass obstacles such as steep inclines, boulders, and craters to cover a lot of terrain while moving quickly, which is a valuable capability to support future missions on the Moon and other planets, including Mars. The next Tipping Point technology will test a Lunar Surface Communications System developed by Nokia. This system employs the same cellular technology used here on Earth, reconceptualized by Nokia Bell Labs to meet the unique requirements of a lunar mission. The Lunar Surface Communications System will demonstrate proximity communications between the lander, a Lunar Outpost rover, and the hopper. Artist rendering of Nokia’s Lunar Surface Communication System , which aims to demonstrate cellular-based communications on the lunar surface.NASA is working with several U.S. companies to deliver technology and science to the lunar surface through the agency’s CLPS initiative. NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate plays a unique role in the IM-2 mission by strategically combining CLPS with NASA’s Tipping Point mechanism to maximize the potential benefit of this mission to NASA, industry, and the nation. NASA’s Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative and Game Changing Development program within the agency’s Space Technology Mission Directorate led the maturation, development, and implementation of pivotal in-situ resource utilization, communication, and mobility technologies flying on IM-2. A team of engineers from NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and Honeybee Robotics in Altadena, California inspect TRIDENT – short for The Regolith Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain – shortly after its arrival at the integration and test facility.Commercial Lunar Payload Services The goal of the CLPS project is to enable rapid, frequent, and affordable access to the lunar surface by helping…NASA has selected 11 U.S. companies to develop technologies that could support long-term exploration on the Moon and in space…
Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Game Changing Development Program Kennedy Space Center Lunar Surface Innovation Initiative Missions NASA Headquarters Research And Technology At Kennedy Space Center Science Mission Directorate Space Technology Mission Directorate
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
January new moon 2025: The young moon visits Venus and SaturnJesse Emspak is a freelance journalist who has contributed to several publications, including Space.com, Scientific American, New Scientist, Smithsonian.com and Undark. He focuses on physics and cool technologies but has been known to write about the odder stories of human health and science as it relates to culture.
Read more »
Snow Moon: How, When And Where To See 2025’s Second Full MoonEverything you need to know about the full 'Snow Moon,' including exactly when, where, and how to see it at its best from where you are.
Read more »
Risks with current Artemis 3 moon landing plan 'may be too high,' NASA safety group saysLeonard David is an award-winning space journalist who has been reporting on space activities for more than 50 years. Currently writing as Space.
Read more »
Snow Moon in Leo: A Full Moon of Heartfelt AuthenticityThis February, the full Snow Moon shines brightly in the fiery sign of Leo, urging us to embrace our authentic selves and unleash our creative passions.
Read more »
NASA's Moon Rovers Pack Up and Ship Out for Lunar AdventureThree small NASA rovers, part of the CADRE (Collaborative Autonomous Data Relay Experiment) project, have been packed and shipped to Intuitive Machines' facility in preparation for a lunar launch. The rovers will explore the Moon's surface as a team, testing collaborative software that allows them to gather data autonomously. They are scheduled to launch aboard IM-3 in early 2026 and will explore the Reiner Gamma region on the Moon's near side.
Read more »
MCU Fans Will Be Getting More Moon Knight — But Not For Season 2Oscar Isaac as Moon Knight holding a moon-shaped blade with the full moon behind him.
Read more »