PRIME 1 [Intuitive Machines]
Nova-C IM-2 or PRIME-1 (Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1) is a NASA mission to land two instruments on the moon using Intuitive Machines' Nova-C commercial lunar lander on the Nova-C IM-2 mission.
The Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) will be the first in-situ resource utilization demonstration on the Moon. Additionally, for the first time, NASA will robotically sample and analyze for ice from below the surface.
The data from PRIME-1 will help scientists understand in-situ resources on the Moon, including resource location mapping. PRIME-1 contributes to NASA’s search for water at the Moon’s poles, supporting the agency’s plans to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon by the end of the decade.
Following instruments are on board:
Versions of TRIDENT and MSolo will also fly on NASA’s VIPER rover mission that will search for ice at the lunar South Pole in 2023. PRIME-1’s early use of the drill and MSolo helps to increase the likelihood of reliable operation of those payloads on VIPER’s mobile platform in the following year.
Nation: | USA |
---|---|
Type / Application: | Lunar lander |
Operator: | Intuitive Machines |
Contractors: | Intuitive Machines |
Equipment: | TRIDENT, MSolo |
Configuration: | Nova-C |
Propulsion: | VR900 |
Power: | Solar cells, batteries |
Lifetime: | |
Mass: | ~2000 kg |
Orbit: |
Satellite | COSPAR | Date | LS | Launch Vehicle | Remarks | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nova-C IM-2 (PRIME 1, CLPS 3) | - | 2023 | CC ? | Falcon-9 v1.2 (Block 5) | with Sherpa-ES 1, Lunar Trailblazer, Brokkr 2, (Lunar Com Sat) |