Nasa's private Nova-C lander in good health after brief setback on way to Moon

Nasa’s private Nova-C lander in good health after brief setback on way to Moon

The Nova-C spacecraft, which was launched by SpaceX on Thursday is in good health as it continues its journey toward the Moon. The spacecraft, however, suffered a brief setback.Â

Nova-C’s navigation system rejected star tracker data following separation from Falcon-9. However, Intuitive Machines said that a software patch was sent to the probe to fix the issue.Â

“Earlier today, Nova-C’s navigation system rejected star tracker data, but a patch has been sent to the spacecraft, and the star tracker updates have resumed nominal operations,” Intuitive Machines said.Â

Initially, the star tracker information was numerically conditioned slightly differently than the team anticipated. “We were expecting a one-in-a-thousand numerical tolerance and received a number more like two and three in a thousand. So, Nova-C’s navigation system rejected the star tracker data. When we tested this system terrestrially, they were within tolerance, but we experienced slightly different numerical conditioning in flight,” the team added.Â

Star tracking, also known as star tracker systems, is a technology used by satellites and spacecraft for accurate attitude determination and control. The primary purpose of star trackers is to precisely determine the orientation of the satellite in space by observing and identifying stars.

“We tested the patch on the ground, sent it to the spacecraft, restarted the star tracker, and immediately began processing star tracker updates – resuming nominal operations,” the team said.Â

The team confirmed that the spacecraft is healthy and Nova-C autonomously brought up all sensors and radios. The spacecraft, dubbed Odysseus, listened to the Inertial Measurement Unit to determine attitude rates and activated the Reaction Control System to nullify those attitude rates as designed.

The lander carries a suite of six payloads for Nasa under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, including scientific instruments to measure the plasma environment and provide data for future Artemis astronauts.

Additionally, it will test new technologies such as a LIDAR-based sensor for descent velocity and range sensing, and an electrostatic dust-removal system that could revolutionise spacesuit technology.