Leonard David's INSIDE OUTER SPACE

Two ILO-X precursor imagers mounted near the top of the lander.
Image credit: Intuitive Machines/ILOA

The Intuitive Machines Odysseus lunar lander carries precursor instruments of the International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA Hawai’i), dedicated to a long-term goal of permanent astronomy from the Moon.

While the lander is apparently tipped over, there are two ILO-X precursor imagers mounted near the top of the lander. Team members of the ILOA remain hopeful to receive images from the Moon.

Steve Altemus, chief executive officer and co-founder, Intuitive Machines, uses model to describe lunar lander’s possible attitude on the Moon’s surface. Image credit: Inside Outer Space screengrab

Cautiously optimistic

In a statement from ILOA director Steve Durst: “We remain cautiously optimistic that ILO-X and our fellow passenger payloads aboard Intuitive Machines’ lander are able to gather as much science and data as possible during this time.”

ILOA is an interglobal enterprise to help realize the multifunctional ILO for long-term astronomy, science and exploration at the Moon’s south pole, and to participate in human lunar base build-out, the group’s statement adds.

“These flagship ILOA Missions will be designed for strategic lunar locations on Malapert Mountain and Shackleton Crater Rim,” Durst noted in an earlier press statement.

Image credit: ILOA/S. Durst

Pre-launch aim

As noted in the IM-1 press kit, ILO-X is a precursor to the ILOA Hawai’i flagship lunar south pole Observatory (ILO-1).

The roughly 0.6 kilogram ILO-X instruments, built for ILOA by Toronto-based Canadensys Aerospace, include a miniaturized dual-camera lunar imaging suite: one wide field and one narrow field.

The aim of ILO-X is to capture some of the first images of the Milky Way Galaxy Center from the surface of the Moon, as well as perform other /Earth/local lunar environment observations and exploration technology validations – including functionality and survivability on the Moon.

Image credit: Intuitive Machines

EagleCam deployment

In other developments, Odysseus ground teams are upbeat on launching from the lander the EagleCam, a camera system from Embry‑Riddle’s Space Technologies Lab.

It was intended to be ejected from the lander on approach to the Moon. While the lander is likely on its side, EagleCam’s deployment is not obstructed for launch.

The EagleCam team at Embry-Riddle is currently running simulations of a deployment. Their current, but tentative estimate, is that the camera gear could land somewhere between 10 to 16 feet (3-5 meters) from the lander. When EagleCam deployment will occur is not known at this time.

Embry‑Riddle’s Space Technologies Lab developed EagleCam.
Image credit: Embry‑Riddle/Inside Outer Space screengrab

EagleCam could capture imagery of the lander on the Moon. Once ejected, the device may observe the lander and help gauge its overall condition upon the lunar surface.

Meanwhile, NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) will be flying over the target area on February 24^th. Using LRO’s high-powered camera system, the true-whereabouts of Odysseus may be determined.

Also, India’s Chandrayaan-3 lunar orbiter should be able to train its sharp-eyed, camera-toting capability on the Odysseus landing site.

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO).
Credit: NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center Conceptual Image Lab