Micro Nova hopping Lander (µNova)
Company Name: Intuitive Machines & Arizona State University (ASU), USA
Potentially available for future missions
Planned Mission(s): Intuitive Machines Mission 2 (IM-2)
First Mission Launch: Late 2023
Payload Delivery Locations: First mission planned to land at Lunar South Pole
First Mission Lander: Nova-C Lander
Rover Mass: To Be Announced
Rover Dimensions: 76.2 cm in length, width and height.
Rover Mobility: Carry 1kg for more than 2.5 km. Capable of travelling up to 25 km from its host lander.
Payload Bay - Available Mass: For the first mission design, Micro-Nova can carry a 1-kg payload. Otherwise, it can carry up to 5 kg.
Power Source Type: Solar panels
Communications Available: Relay communications by sending the data back to Nova-C lander
Expected Working Duration: To Be Announced
First Mission Rover Manifest:
It has its own propulsion, and navigation sensors.
Micro-Nova has a camera and will be equipped to provide high-resolution stereo images in areas that are in direct sunlight, which will also enable detailed engineering and science planning for future missions. The hopper will also measure the temperature of the PSR (Permanently Shadowed Regions), which will be very cold.
The µNova payload will separate from the Nova-C lander after landing and function as a standalone hopper lander, exploring multiple difficult-to-reach areas such as deep craters on the lunar surface.