Intuitive Machines is preparing the next mission to the Moon, which it has planned for this year. The company said that it drew conclusions from the unsuccessful landing of the Odysseus spacecraft on the Moon during the IM-1 mission, therefore, it made adjustments to the design of the module for landing on the Moon. However, the unsuccessful landing allowed them to test the main components: the engine and subsystems of the lander.
During the second mission, a private space company will test the lander, which is named Nova-C. The goal of the second mission will be to deliver a NASA payload that will be used to search for water ice at the Moon’s south pole near Shackleton crater. It is believed that there are huge deposits of ice in this place, because the Lunar Orbiter spacecraft noticed its signs. If it is detected, the ice can be recycled into water or rocket fuel.
Among the changes on the Nova-C, the navigation system’s laser rangefinder switching system will also be improved. The main mistake of the IM-1 mission was that the engineers forgot to turn on the physical switch of the laser rangefinders when the spacecraft was still on the Earth.
Intuitive Machines ended the fourth quarter of 2023 with revenue of $30.6 million and a cash balance of only $4.5 million. As of March 1, 2024, the company’s cash balance has increased to almost $55 million.
The year 2024 will be crucial for the company, because Intuitive Machines expects a productive cooperation with NASA, which can be very profitable.
Earlier, we reported on how Odysseus did not survive the cold night.
According to techcrunch.com
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