Military aerospace and space company Aitech is providing the avionics computer system supporting the Intuitive Machines IM-2 mission to the Moon’s south pole region.
The mission is sending its Nova-C class lunar lander, Athena, to test technologies and collect data to enable future exploration. IM-2 is set to demonstrate lunar mobility, resource prospecting, and analysis of volatile substances from subsurface materials – a key component for establishing a sustainable infrastructure on the lunar surface and in space.
Intuitive Machines wants to provide the diverse space services required to commercialise the Solar System, starting with the Moon. The Houston-based company used Aitech’s space-rated computing system to help facilitate critical data processing for Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander.
Athena incorporates improvements, including the integration of lidar technology and advanced autonomous landing through machine learning and artificial intelligence-enabled through Aitech’s space-rated computing.
The space-rated system developed by Aitech includes its SP0-S space-rated single-board computer, S740 radiation-tolerant communications PMC board, and S730, a rugged space-rated SpaceWire card. The dual SBC system leverages RS-422, SpaceWire cameras, and NAND flash storage in an all-in-one space-rated avionics system.
Aitech provided the complete conduction-cooled hardware for the Nova-C avionics system to use as both a payload controller and image data processor. Intuitive Machines utilised this dual SP0-S setup to run both VxWorks RTOS and Linux to execute its time-critical software while processing video data streams down to a NAND flash storage module. This unique dual SBC system leverages RS-422, SpaceWire cameras, and NAND flash storage in an all-in-one space-rated avionics system.
The IM-2 mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, helping lay the foundation for human missions and a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface.
“With trillions of miles flown in space successfully, Aitech has supported the most demanding space applications,” said Aitech Space Director Ralph Grundler. “We are proud to take part in the IM-2 mission to support its objectives, yet another proof point for Aitech’s rugged space system solutions that provide reliable performance for the most unforgiving environments.”
“A reliable, space-rated computing system plays a vital role in supporting critical data processing aboard Athena for the IM-2 mission,” said Intuitive Machines Space Systems SVP Trent Martin. “Aitech’s advanced computing solutions offer the space-proven performance needed to help enable reliable communications and mission success, contributing to the delivery of critical infrastructure assets to the Moon’s surface and paving the way for future exploration.”
A key objective of IM-2 is the deployment of NASA’s TRIDENT Drill and MSolo mass spectrometer to probe up to 1 metre beneath the lunar surface, demonstrating the technology needed to detect life-sustaining volatiles like water and oxygen.
Additionally, the mission introduces innovative mobility capabilities with Intuitive Machines’ Micro Nova Hopper, named Grace, enabling up to two kilometres of traversal from the lander, capturing detailed surface imagery and crater exploration.
Aitech’s space-rated system includes the SP0-S, a radiation-tolerant 3U CompactPCI SBC developed to handle high-performance processing and bolster memory storage in orbit.
In addition, Aitech’s SP0-S architecture supports up to seven additional cards on the CompactPCI backplane providing clock, arbitration, and interrupt servicing, including additional SP0-S SBCs as peripheral processors, as implemented on Athena.
The system for IM-2 also features Aitech’s S740 rad-tolerant communications conduction-cooled PCI mezzanine card (PMC) designed with 16 input and 16 output differential channels of RS-422 and utilises the onboard FPGA logic to interface to external spacecraft sensors and devices for the mission.
To reduce bottlenecks as information is collected via detailed surface imaging, the S740 is designed with a protected onboard PCI Bus DMA controller for input and output data packet buffering. Rounding out the computing requirements, Aitech’s rad-tolerant S730 SpaceWire PMC Card offers three SpaceWire ports with initiator and target capability and has provisions to add on RS422 serial interfaces and 32 GPIOs for complete system communication.
