[…] The Intuitive Machines team includes a large number of former NASA engineers, and their response to IM-1’s early star tracker woes exemplified their ingenuity and their ability to resolve anomalies in flight. Due to these early issues, they needed to rearrange their flight plan. Odysseus’ first major maneuver was slated to be a commissioning burn of its VR-900 main engine. This rocket motor is fueled by liquid oxygen and liquid methane, and it was extensively tested on Earth prior to the mission. However, it was never fired in a vacuum on the ground, so the first in-flight use of the engine was a pivotal moment for Intuitive Machines. Prior to the flight, CEO Steve Altemus remarked, “(The commissioning burn) is a critical maneuver, and if we make that maneuver go well, we are on our way to the Moon. I think our confidence level goes from 75 to 80 to about 90% once that commissioning maneuver is done.” [1] […]
from Comments for AmericaSpace https://ift.tt/ey4KXdv
via World Space Info
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