via Intuitive Machines
Communication between Earth and the Moon is a monumental 239,000-mile task, and Intuitive Machines (IM) is leading the way in pioneering this cislunar economic opportunity. IM selected a York Space Systems S-CLASS satellite with a lunar communications payload to launch on its upcoming IM-2 lunar South Pole mission scheduled for late 2022. The satellite will orbit the Moon to provide communications like a satellite that orbits Earth.
"Establishing the first node in a lunar communication and navigation network is the key to unlocking the next economic frontier, the cislunar economy," said IM President and CEO Steve Altemus.
"We are in a phenomenal position to deliver payloads to lunar orbit with each of our surface missions," said Altemus. "With an annual launch cadence, we're able to establish the first lunar communications satellite and return reliably to finish the entire network around the Moon."
About IM-2: A Mission of Firsts
In addition to being the first to establish a lunar communications network, Intuitive Machines' second mission to the Moon will set the stage for future robotic exploration and pave the way for the first woman and person of color to set foot on the lunar surface. IM-2 will be the first spacecraft to ever land on the lunar South Pole. After sticking the landing, IM's spacecraft, Nova-C, will become the first to drill for lunar ice and deploy a rover to demonstrate 4G LTE communication on the lunar surface. During surface operations, IM's µNova will demonstrate extreme lunar mobility. µNova will be the first spacecraft to explore deep craters on the Moon's surface.
About Intuitive Machines
Intuitive Machines' complete lunar program unlocks the lunar economy to explore the solar system further and gain knowledge for the progress of humanity. As the premier provider of space services and technologies, Intuitive Machines is reestablishing the United States' dominance on the ultimate high ground, the Moon. Designed by the greatest minds in spaceflight, IM's lunar program will send the first American spacecraft to the Moon since the Apollo program and send the first spacecraft ever to reach the Lunar South Pole.
About York Space Systems
York Space Systems was founded to radically improve spacecraft affordability and reliability and is leading the industry in transforming and enabling next-generation space mission operations worldwide. York specializes in rapid production of complete mission-ready spacecraft platforms leveraging commercial development applied to numerous government and commercial missions. York’s complete solution includes spacecraft production, payload integration, system integration and test, launch services, ground segment services, and mission operations. By leveraging York’s existing technology solutions customers can rapidly and responsively get to orbit outpacing competitors. York’s proven S-CLASS and LX-CLASS platforms are standardized 3-axis stabilized spacecraft executing ISR, remote proximity, weather, and communication missions for a wide variety of government and commercial customers. It is fully compatible with most launch vehicles, including ground and air-launched, and ground segment providers. When combined with York’s cloud-based mission tasking and autonomous operations center, customers get an ultra-low-cost solution for on-demand data collection and analytics
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