Micro Nova
Delivery
Under a NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate's Tipping Point initiative, Intuitive Machines developed the Micro Nova Hopper, which is a propulsive drone that is designed to land, deploy, and hop on the company's IM-2 mission. The Micro Nova Hopper can accommodate up to 10 kg of scientific payloads and expand the exploration footprint for up to 25 km from the initial landing location. Micro Nova is designed to hop into and out of permanently shadowed regions, providing a first look into undiscovered regions that may provide the critical science needed to sustain a human presence on the Moon.
Overview
Extreme Lunar Mobility
Range: Up to 25km ballistic transfer with current tank configuration
Payload Capacity: Up to 10 kg, range dependent
On board sensors: Inertial Measurement Unit, Star Tracker, Optical Navigation Camera, Lidar, Situational Awareness Camera
Deployment: Rail system from lander
Communications: UHF and Nokia 4G/LTE on surface, S-band to Intuitive Machines' Lunar Data Network
Micro Nova Trajectory
Learn More about the IM-2 Mission
​The IM-2 Micro Nova Hopper is named for Grace Hopper, the pioneer in mathematics and programming who worked on some of the earliest computers, and developed the first compiler and COBOL, a language still used today. She was an advocate for accessible programming, wishing to bring the world of computers to people outside of academia; similarly, our own Hopper is designed to make the darkest reaches of the Moon accessible to the world. We hope the IM-2 Micro Nova Hopper will symbolize and honor Grace Hopper’s trailblazing spirit and dedication.