Peregrine marked the inaugural mission of a program known as Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS). This initiative, spearheaded by NASA, aims to leverage the advancements made by private space companies in order to propel the objectives of the Artemis Moon exploration program.
CLPS boasts an extensive roster of partners, precisely 14, who will be responsible for launching payloads to the Moon on behalf of NASA and other private collaborators.
The second private entity to contribute to the CLPS program is Intuitive Machines. On February 15, they utilized a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket to deploy the Odysseus lander, belonging to the Nova-C-class, from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
In contrast to the Peregrine’s experience, the Odysseus mission seems to be progressing smoothly. In fact, the spacecraft has traversed a significant portion of the journey towards the Moon and is now poised to make a momentous touchdown on February 22.
According to NASA’s provided information, the landing is scheduled to commence after 5:49 PM EST on Thursday.
Odysseus will touch down in an area on the Moon called Malapert A, situated near the South Pole of the celestial body, which serves as the designated target for all upcoming Artemis missions. NASA will broadcast the entire mission live on NASA+, NASA Television (accessible through various platforms, including social media), and the NASA app.
The agency’s live coverage will commence at 4:15 PM EST “as the key landing milestones unfold.” Assuming a successful landing (which is highly expected), a news conference will follow to discuss the mission and the scientific opportunities it presents.
Accompanying Odysseus on its lunar journey are six NASA-supported scientific instruments and an equal number of privately-funded technologies. Among the notable NASA equipment is the Lunar Node-1 navigational experiment, which holds the potential to establish a comprehensive navigation system on the Moon’s surface.
One particularly anticipated private technology is the EagleCam camera. While its design and scope may seem straightforward, this hardware will capture the world’s first-ever third-person image of a spacecraft executing an extraterrestrial landing as it separates from the Odysseus.
Undoubtedly, this landing holds great promise and anticipation. As always, we will closely follow the developments and provide you with all the exciting details. Stay tuned for the latest updates.
According to the Source autoevolution.com