Image (Credit): Rocket Lab’s Electron rocket successfully deploying a fourth synthetic aperture radar satellite to Synspective’s Earth-observation constellation. (Rocket Lab)
Earlier this week, Japanese cargo was launched towards space by two commercial companies. Unfortunately, only of the rockets made it into space.
On March 13, US company Rocket Lab launched a payload for Japan’s Synspective, an Earth-imaging company, from its launch site in New Zealand. The launch was successful and the StriX-3 satellite was placed into Earth orbit.
The second launch on the same day by Japan’s Space One, which would have been the first commercial launch by a Japanese firm, ended quickly when the rocket burst into flames just a few seconds after liftoff. The rocket was carrying a mock-up of a government spy satellite.
Space One President Masakazu Toyoda stated, “We will find out the cause as soon as possible and clarify our measures to prevent a recurrence.”
Getting it right may take time, as we are seeing with SpaceX’s Starship. Japan wants to maintain strong launch capabilities in both the public and private sectors, and this is just part of the process to make that happen.
Image (Credit): Photos showing the launch and midair explosion of Space One’s Kairos rocket. (KYODO)
This image retrieved from the lander on February 27 captures Odysseus’ landing strut during landing on February 22nd performing its primary task, absorbing first contact with the lunar surface. Meanwhile, the lander’s liquid methane and liquid oxygen engine is still throttling, which provided stability. The Company believes the two insights captured in this image enabled Odysseus to gently lean into the lunar surface, preserving the ability to return scientific data.
NASA tried to put its best spin on the science coming out of the tilted lander, which suffered solar array and communication issues related to its tilted position, stating:
Mission challenges and successes were discussed during the briefing including more than 350 megabits of science data downloaded ready for analysis. During transit, all powered NASA payloads operated and received data. During descent and landing, guidance and navigation data was collected that will help improve landing precision in the future, and all three payloads that were designed to operate on the surface have received data.
What is left unsaid is whether the data received during this landing was close to what was anticipated and necessary for future safe missions. Saying some data was received does not tell us much. Only complete and useful data really matters here. I expect more information will be shared shortly.
I have not read too much about the fate of the other commercial cargoes. I doubt they fared much better.
Fortunately, the lunar lander communicated with Earth until early this morning, outlasting earlier expectations.
Could it come alive again like the Japanese lander? We shall see. As Intuitive Machines said earlier today, “Goodnight, Odie. We hope to hear from you again.”
Image (Credit): Odysseus captured this image approximately 35 seconds after pitching over during its approach to the landing site. The camera is on the starboard aft-side of the lander in this phase. (Intuitive Machines)
Well, that was quick. Odysseus may run out of power today given its rough landing, prematurely ending the second US mission to the Moon this year, both of which had problems. It is really amazing that we landed humans on the Moon multiple times for days at a time when you consider the wreckage added to the Moon since then. I know the south pole is a different scenario, but this is where we want to be next. It is looking more and more difficult to do.
Intuitive Machines issued its latest update yesterday:
Odysseus continues to communicate with flight controllers in Nova Control from the lunar surface. After understanding the end-to-end communication requirements, Odysseus sent images from the lunar surface of its vertical descent to its Malapert A landing site, representing the furthest south any vehicle has been able to land on the Moon and establish communication with ground controllers…Flight controllers intend to collect datauntil the lander’s solar panels are no longer exposed to light. Based on Earth and Moon positioning, we believe flight controllers will continue to communicate with Odysseus until Tuesday morning.
It also appears that human error was at the center of the rough landing. Reuters reported yesterday that problems with the range finders related to Intuitive Machine’s decision not to conduct a test firing of the laser system. We learned that the range finders were “…inoperable because company engineers neglected to unlock the lasers’ safety switch before launch.” This may have saved some time and money, but we now see the results.
Mike Hansen, the company’s head of navigation systems, told Reuters:
There were certainly things we could’ve done to test it and actually fire it. They would’ve been very time-consuming and very costly…So that was a risk as a company that we acknowledged and took that risk.
The company made that decision with NASA funds on the line as well. I am not sure NASA would have been so cavalier about final testing. Human error is one thing. Commercial hubris is another. The company’s shortcut is already being reflected in its stock price.
One can certainly argue that progress is being made given that the first lander, Peregrine, never even made it to the Moon’s surface. Such trials and tribulations are to be expected. Yet I wonder if that is how all of the commercial partners see it. Both Moon missions were partially funded by private sector parties who saw their cargoes either burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere and stranded in the wrong position on the Moon. Will they continue to fund such ventures given the risks? Commercial involvement is a key part of the Artemis lunar program and it could be threatened by continuing problems.
The other question is whether these Artemis-related flights will delay the upcoming crewed missions. We should know more shortly, but you can be certain all of this is being factored into timelines being prepared by NASA.
Note: NASA had a press conference the other day on the Intuitive Machines Moon mission that can be found here.
Image (Credit): The Odysseus lunar lander’s view of the moon’s Schomberger crater on Thursday, at about 6 miles altitude and approximately 125 miles uprange from the spacecraft’s intended landing site. (Intuitive Machines)
The United States is back on the Moon, even if the trip was bumpy. Plans to have pictures of the landing via the EagleCam were affected by a last minute switch to a NASA instrument that allowed Odysseus to safely land. The seems to be a fair trade, and the EagleCam can still be used to take pictures now that the lunar lander is stationary on the surface.
Embry‑Riddle Aeronautical University, which created the EagleCam, later noted:
…both the Intuitive Machines and EagleCam teams still plan to deploy EagleCam and capture images of the lander on the lunar surface as the mission continues. The time of deployment is currently unknown.
More importantly, Odysseus stumbled during the landing and is now tipped to one side. A tilted landing disabled the Japanese lunar lander earlier this year. Fortunately, the Odysseus’s solar panels are still catching the Sun’s rays and charging. This should allow the lander to conduct its work for about nine days until the Sun’s location will no longer charge the panels.
It seems the third try this year for the Moon’s south pole was precarious yet ultimately successful. That said, we are finding that the past successes are no guarantee of future success. This is the same region where NASA will be sending the Artemis astronauts. We need to get this right before we drop a crew on the Moon.
Image (Credit): A view of the Odysseus lunar lander as it flies over the near side of the moon on Wednesday. (Intuitive Machines/AP)
This week’s image come from Intuitive Machines and shows the Odysseus lunar lander orbiting the Moon just yesterday before its historic landing earlier today. After more than 50 years, the United States has returned to the Moon.
After troubleshooting communications, flight controllers have confirmed Odysseus is upright and starting to send data…Right now, we are working to downlink the first images from the lunar surface.
The Odysseus landed near the Malapert A crater, which is about 185 miles north of the Moon’s south pole.
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