Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Image credit: Intuitive Machines

The Intuitive Machines (IM-1) Moon lander has transmitted its mission images to Earth on February 16th.

The lunar lander images were captured shortly after separation from the SpaceX’s second stage.

The IM-1 mission Nova-C class lunar lander called “Odysseus” continues to be “in excellent health, in a stable orientation and remains on schedule for a lunar landing opportunity on the afternoon of February 22,” according to an earlier IM-1 posting from the private group.

Intuitive Machines flight controllers have successfully fired the first liquid methane and liquid oxygen engine in space, completing the IM-1 mission engine commissioning.

This engine firing included a full thrust main stage engine burn and throttle down-profile necessary to land on the Moon, the company reports.

Commission maneuver

There was a delay in a spacecraft Commission Maneuver burn on February 15.

“This approach provided flexibility in the mission’s engine burn schedule to allow for learning as we operate the lander in the vacuum of space,” the private company explains. Adjusting for this learning process is why the team chose to delay the burn.

Image credit: Intuitive Machines

While preparing for the CM burn, flight controllers experienced intermittent uplink and downlink data communications between the Nova-C lander and ground stations, potentially impacting our ability to collect the critical information required to support the CM burn and follow-on performance analysis.

“As we prepared for the first-ever in-space ignition of a liquid methane and liquid oxygen engine, we reviewed our Earth-based test data against the data we’ve accumulated in space,” the communiqué from Intuitive Machines explains.

Image credit: Intuitive Machines

Chill out

“The in-space performance demonstrated that it takes longer to chill the liquid oxygen feed line than the Earth-based testing. After understanding the in-space liquid oxygen feedline requirements, we adjusted and uploaded the CM burn preparation timeline and increased the onboard event sequence timer.”

The IM-1 mission Nova-C class lunar lander “is in excellent health, and we expect to continue to provide mission updates at least once a day,” explains the posting.

IM-1 landing area between the craters Malapert C and Malapert B and east of Malapert A, in relatively ancient terrain within the south pole Aitken basin.
Image credit: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State University