MDA continues to make inroads in providing technology destined for the Moon, whether in orbit or the surface. This latest contract with Intuitive Machines leverages technology in-part acquired several years with in-house expertise.
MDA announced yesterday that it would it would be providing lunar landing sensors to Houston based Intuitive Machines, LLC. These sensors will be a part of Intuitive Machines upcoming lunar IM-1 and IM-2 missions.
MDA didn’t go into specifics of which sensors it will provide to Intuitive Machines, but did mention the product line includes a 3D scanning LIDAR, an infrared camera, and a Laser Range Finder.
In an email to SpaceQ, MDA stated that some of the technology was based in-part on work done by Ottawa based Neptec, and that MDA UK was involved in all of the technologies.
Of interest, MDA acquired Neptec in 2018 bringing its expertise in LIDAR technology to the fold. Neptec is known in-part for its Laser Camera System which was selected by NASA to obtain detailed imagery of shuttle tiles on orbit during flight to verify their integrity prior to re-entry. This was an added feature to the space shuttle program after the Shuttle Columbia accident. Neptec then created the Triangulation and LIDAR Automated Rendezvous and Docking system (TriDAR), used on space shuttle missions and the Cygnus spacecraft visiting the International Space Station.
The IM-1 mission is funded through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program and will land the Nova-C lander, in the Vallis Schroteri region on the Moon sometime in the first half of next year.
The IM-2 mission is also funded through NASA’s CLPS program. It however is a more challenging mission as it will land in the lunar south polar region. MDA said its “landing sensors will support the first soft landing US mission to the Moon since 1972.” IM-2 is tentatively scheduled for a December 2022 launch.
MDA’s CEO Mike Greenley stated, “Every week there are major global developments in the commercialization of space that bring us closer and closer to making the vision of an active Lunar village with routine flights from Earth to the Moon a reality. Landing technology has been a critical component of successful flight since the dawn of aviation and now, working with partners like Intuitive Machines, we are commercializing that technology for space flight.”
MDA’s foray into lunar landing sensors could be construed as an entrepreneurial foray by a company known more as a prime contractor. But it should be noted that in 2018 MDA did a soft launch of a new initiative called LaunchPad with the aim of accelerating and growing partnerships with small and medium businesses. Neptec, acquired in 2018, could be considered an early member of Launchpad, which is paying off nicely.