In a press release, SANSA confirmed that it started monitoring the spacecraft quickly after its launch when it entered the company’s protection space. SANSA will proceed to offer help for the mission for a number of days after the Athena lander touches down on the lunar floor.
“Lunar missions like IM-2 are a novel alternative for SANSA to showcase its capabilities and contribute meaningfully to the worldwide area group. Our preparations for this mission are designed to make sure excellence and seamless help companies for the contracted length of the mission,” stated Tiaan Strydom, SANSA’s performing govt director for area operations.
Recognising the complexities and prices of lunar missions, Strydom emphasised the significance of precision and diligence in each section of the operation, including, “Lunar missions are advanced and expensive; due to this fact, each section of the mission requires precision and diligence. We’re honoured that intuitive machines have positioned belief in our capabilities to help IM-2, persevering with our help from IM-1.”
The IM-2 mission, launched on February 26 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, has a major goal to research the presence of water ice close to the Moon’s south pole, a important useful resource for future human missions, in line with Intuitive Machines, the American area exploration firm main the mission.