Intuitive Machines is developing the Nova-C lander which they want to send to the surface of the moon in early 2022. It will be powered by their VR900 engine, and replete with innovative avionics for advanced guidance, navigation and control. “IM-1” is capable of carrying 130kg of cargo, and will ferry numerous experiments to the lunar surface by Early 2022.
IM-2 will follow up in 2022 with our second flight, as we become the first object to land at the South Pole, use the Moon’s first ice drill, deploy our micro-Nova “hopper” – a rover to test the Nokia LTE network.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.
getting a NEO in cislunar is just as, if not more, important than spattering the Moon with kit. Lovely machines and trinkets on the lunar surface doesn't expand much if we can't get a more stable source of building materials and/or fuel/ O2 nearby.
…and this is just the locals – china, india, and other up-and-comers (re-comers) have lunar missions this decade… interesting to see how many have 'a Gateway' type of approach.
send a Boring machine – miniaturized.
should be more than NASA, ESA, etc., giving out these grants and awards. Let's pepper the moon with the hundreds of research objectives that would lead to insitu construction, resource exploitation, and research/ observation base goals pre-2030. Unclear on the number of launch vehicles and pads available to such an outfit.
Aggressive timeline. Research/ commercialization objectives appear less defined than the vehicles and flight mechanics.
Probably because Apollo brought home enough data and samples people found going back to the Moon uninteresting. I'll agree it was stupid.
Well, they have a working engine, and a nice building and website. Do they have the funding to finish the whole package? I don't know.
I wish them luck, though.
Too bad we know so much about Mars, so little about Moon. Why is that?