Explore Grace, the Leaping Machine Poised to Plunge into the Moon's Deepest Shadowy Crevices
Meet Grace, the audacious hopper bot set to leap into the Moon's darkest abysses, offering an unprecedented peek into the perpetually shrouded craters near the lunar south pole. Houston-based trailblazers Intuitive Machines are prepping for their second lunar voyage, as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) endeavor. Scheduled for lift-off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket within a four-day launch window commencing February 26, the spacecraft will embark on an extraordinary journey, carrying NASA's scientific research, technology experiments, and commercial payloads. This lunar lander, christened Athena, is spearheading for Mons Mouton, a moonlit plateau nestled near the Moon's South Pole. If successful in its lunar landing, Athena will unsheathe its cargo, including a Micro-Nova hopper named Grace.
Emulating the fiery spirit of pioneer mathematician and computer scientist Grace Hopper, this tin man employs technology to bridge the chasm between human understanding and the Moon's enigmatic corners. Grace, however, is far from human—she's a propulsive drone engineered to bounce her way across the lunar landscape. The Micro-Nova hopper will undertake a series of soaring leaps, rising gradually with each hop, culminating in a 330-feet (100-meter) leap on the third hop, before slowly descending into a shadowed lunar crater.
Targeting Crater H, roughly 65 feet (20 meters) deep and situated approximately 1,650 feet (500 meters) away from Athena's landing site, Grace will probe for water and other resources, while capturing captivating images using her onboard cameras. Trent Martin, senior vice president of space systems at Intuitive Machines, revealed during a press conference that Grace's communications will be maintained with Athena through Nokia's Lunar Surface Communication System, which aims to establish the first-ever 4G/LTE network on the Moon.
Grace, the first of its kind, will spend approximately 45 minutes exploring the crater's floor before resuming her bouncy journey back to the lunar surface. Martin described the robot's venture as an ingenious way to explore the depths of a shadowy crater. "If you've got a really deep crater and you want to get down into that crater, why not do it with something like a drone?"
Intuitive Machines is no stranger to lunar jaunts. The Houston-based startup launched its inaugural lunar lander, named Odysseus, in February 2024. The landing, despite its promise, was anything but smooth. One of Odysseus' legs might have gotten entangled during descent, causing it to totter on its side and finally land sideways on a rock. Yet, Odysseus shares a celestial connection with its sister sentry, Athena, through their shared namesakes from Greek mythology.
Grace's mission will serve double duty, both as a technology demonstration and a beacon to Moon's harsh borders. The hopping robot will showcase the potential of robotic exploration through advanced leaps and bounds, while supporting NASA's Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment 1 (PRIME-1), which aims to hunt for water ice and other resources in the lunar polar region. Ultimately, Grace's journey encapsulates a spirit of exploration, as she steps forth into the unknown, hopefully revealing secrets held closely by the Moon's shadowed craters.
Enrichment Data:
- Technology Demonstration: Grace's hopping technology aims to showcase that alternative methods of lunar exploration, such as drones, can be effective in reaching and investigating extreme environments on the Moon.
- Lunar Exploration: With a series of leaps embracing different altitudes, Grace sets its sights on navigating the lunar landscape, aiming to discover the truth hidden within the enigmatic lunar craters.
- Crater Exploration: The hopper will attempt to infiltrate a permanently shadowed crater, known as Crater H, which lies an approximately 1,650 feet (500 meters) distance from Athena's landing site and plunges 65 feet (20 meters) deep.
- Communication: Grace's journey will be facilitated with the use of Nokia's Lunar Surface Communication System, which aims to begin the Moon's first-ever 4G/LTE network.
- Data Collection: While floating in Crater H, Grace will utilize an onboard "water snooper" instrument to hone in on any potential lunar water resources. Equipped with cameras, she will also capture rich, detailed images of her lunar adventures.
- Supporting Primary Payloads: As part of NASA's CLPS program, Grace will cooperate with the primary payload, NASA's PRIME-1, which will search for water ice and other resources in the lunar polar region.
By embarking on this audacious Moon-bound adventure, Grace seeks to demonstrate the extraordinary capabilities of advanced robotic technology and contribute to the growing knowledge of the Moon's polar regions.
- Grace, inspired by computer scientist Grace Hopper, utilizes future technology to bridge the gap between human understanding and the Moon's mysteries.
- As part of Intuitive Machines' involvement in NASA's CLPS, the startup's lunar lander, Athena, will carry Grace to the Moon, aiming for a successful landing near Mons Mouton.
- Höpefully, Grace will successfully execute three hops, culminating in a 100-meter leap, before exploring Crater H, where she'll search for resources using her onboard instruments.
- Once Grace has completed her 45-minute mission, she'll rely on Nokia's Lunar Surface Communication System to transmit data back to Athena, opening new possibilities for space commerce.
