US firm aims for first commercial moon landing
STORY: The moon may soon be open for business.
If all goes to plan, a SpaceX rocket will launch the first commercial lunar lander within weeks.
The Nova-C probe is the brainchild of Texas firm Intuitive Machines.
It was shown off on Wednesday (October 3), before being shipped to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
A launch from there is pencilled in for mid-November.
Intuitive Machines Chief Technology Officer Tim Crain says it’s a one-way trip this time:
“So, from the time we launch to the time we land is less than seven days. Once we're on the surface of the moon, we will operate as long as the sun is in the sky, which for the moon will be about 12 to 13 days. Unfortunately, once the sun goes down, it gets extremely cold at the moon and the vehicle systems will most likely freeze and that'll be the end of the first mission. It will not return.”
The mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services project.
It’s meant to make moon trips more efficient by letting private firms bid on delivering gear to the Earth satellite.
That’s ahead of a planned resumption of manned missions.
Nova-C will collect data on things like how its rocket plume interacts with the lunar surface.
But Intuitive Machines President Steve Altemus has a longer-term goal too.
He wants to turn the moon into a profitable destination for private enterprise:
“Well, I think about what materials are there at the moon. We're only beginning to understand the materials on the moon. And I think there's materials that are worth something. Not only from a science and discovery standpoint, but maybe from a consumer goods standpoint. Is there something in that material that the Earth needs? Rare metals, Helium three…you know, what is it?”
If it succeeds, Nova-C will be making the first soft landing on the moon by a U.S. craft since the last Apollo mission in 1972.
NASA’s new Artemis programme now plans to land astronauts on the moon again by late 2025.
相關影片推薦
- 2:02驚! 「鳳城燒臘」師傅出走 業者掛保證:口味不變TVBS新聞網影音31,318 次觀看・16 小時前
- 1:59博恩奪走鐘獎喊"感謝中國" 雙北議員痛批:錯誤認知民視影音210,109 次觀看・17 小時前
- 4:55台中熱門商圈大洗牌 「這個商圈」成功擠下逢甲東森新聞影音20,890 次觀看・22 小時前
- 1:41機車被亂移還上大鎖 女大生尋回花5百元解鎖.怒報警華視影音150,208 次觀看・1 天前
- 1:58台鐵金雞母! 賣便當年賺上億 網虧:被開火車耽誤民視影音8,089 次觀看・18 小時前
- 1:59女扮「鐵垃圾桶」搭捷運遭請下車 站務員:量尺寸TVBS新聞網影音6,088 次觀看・23 小時前
- 1:28驚!桃機發生「墜落事件」 40歲男送醫搶救不治民視影音16,727 次觀看・2 天前
- 1:52佛心便當! 台南8菜1蛋45元 高雄大雞腿飯賣65元華視影音14,819 次觀看・1 週前
- 1:47川普又說台灣偷晶片生意! 專家:請查台積電有多少專利民視影音11,015 次觀看・7 小時前
- 1:57獨家》女童早餐店吵鬧! 客人勸阻不成 店家竟遭威脅引眾怒東森新聞影音80,383 次觀看・1 天前