Meet Grace, a groundbreaking robotic hopper designed to venture into the uncharted depths of the Moon’s permanently shadowed craters near the lunar south pole. As part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, Intuitive Machines is launching its second mission, Athena, which will carry Grace on a historic journey.
Named after pioneering mathematician and computer scientist Grace Hopper, who advocated for accessible programming, this propulsive drone aims to make the Moon’s darkest reaches accessible to the world. With built-in thrusters, Grace will hop across the lunar surface, reaching altitudes of up to 330 feet before descending into a crater.
During its 45-minute stay in the crater, Grace will search for water and resources using onboard cameras and maintain communication with Athena via Nokia’s Lunar Surface Communication System. This technology demonstration marks the first time a hopping robot has explored the Moon, inspired by Ingenuity’s rotorcraft on Mars.
Intuitive Machines has successfully launched its previous lunar lander, Odysseus, in February 2024, but faced technical difficulties during landing. The company is hoping that Athena will perform smoothly and deliver a successful mission with Grace, the brave robot hopper.
Source: https://gizmodo.com/meet-grace-the-hopping-robot-that-will-dive-into-the-moons-darkest-craters-2000561619