Transportation
On-the-Fly Software Patch Saved Intuitive Machines’ Moon Mission
- When navigation didn’t work, company turned to NASA’s lidar
- Mission control sent software patches within two hours
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Mere hours before Intuitive Machines’ spacecraft was supposed to perform a historic landing on the surface of the moon, the company’s engineers discovered a major problem.
Navigational lasers on board the Nova-C lander, nicknamed Odysseus, were not working properly. Designed to operate together with cameras on board the spacecraft, the lasers were critical tools needed for a safe landing attempt.