Intuitive Machines' Nova-C cargo lander, named Odysseus; has become the first US spacecraft to soft land on the lunar surface since 1972. The US company Intuitive Machines thereby became the first commercial company to succeed with a Moon landing. AAC Clyde Space is part of this mission and Intuitive Machines' future mission as a supplier of power systems, battery solutions and engineering services.
"We congratulate Intuitive Machines to this historic achievement of successfully landing a spacecraft on the lunar surface. AAC Clyde Space are excited to be part of this new era of lunar exploration aiming to pave the way for a sustainable human presence on the Moon by the end of the decade. We are delighted that Intuitive Machines opted for the Starbuck power system, developed for the needs of small spacecraft," says AAC Clyde Space CEO Luis Gomes.
The Nova-C uses AAC Clyde Space's STARBUCK-MINI power conditioning & distribution unit (PCDU). The STARUCK-MINI is one of AAC Clyde Space's flagship products which is quickly becoming a standard in the SmallSat universe. Originally, it was the developed for the InnoSat project, delivered by OHB Sweden and financed by Rymdstyrelsen (the Swedish Space Agency).
Power Systems are the cornerstone of any mission enabling a satellite to perform a number of different tasks, starting with maximising the power taken from solar panels, converting it to useful voltages to power electronics and charge batteries, storing energy safely in the batteries, and finally distributing power to all systems when needed. This must be done while autonomously protecting everything from unexpected events in all conditions during the entire mission lifetime.
AAC Clyde Space also participate with the STARBUCK-MINI in Intuitive Machines upcoming Moon missions, the IM-2 and IM-3, planned to launch late 2024 or 2025. The IM-2 mission will drill after ice on the Moon and after harvesting it, use a mass spectrometer to measure how much is lost as the ice turns from solid into vapor. The data will help scientists understand how to search for water at the Moon's pole, and how much water may be available to use as NASA plans to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon by the end of the decade. The ice drilling mission is also part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.
The IM-3 mission is destined for the Reiner Gamma region, one of the Moon's most distinctive and enigmatic natural features. Known as a lunar swirl, Reiner Gamma is on the western edge of the Moon, as seen from Earth, and is one of the most visible lunar swirls. Scientists continue to learn what lunar swirls are, how they form, and their relationship to the Moon's magnetic field.
For more information visit: www.aac-clyde.space