PRIME-1 Simulation

Nov 20, 2023

A group of engineers take part in simulation training for the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) on Thursday, Nov. 2, 2023, inside the Neil Armstrong Operations and Checkout Building at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The function of the training is to get the incorporated PRIME-1 group– engineers with PRIME-1’s MSOLO (Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations) and Honeybee Robotics’ TRIDENT (The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain) drill– ready to run the instrument on the lunar surface area. The group commanded the PRIME-1 hardware, situated at Intuitive Machines in Houston, to run MSOLO and TRIDENT.

“While the MSOLO and TRIDENT groups have actually been separately training thoroughly, it’s amazing to have both groups in the space together running our hardware simultaneously,” stated Pri Johnson, among the MSOLO systems engineers. “There’s a concrete energy in the space today as all of us interact for this objective simulation. Everything began to feel really genuine!”

PRIME-1 is arranged to introduce through NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Delivery Service) effort and will be the very first in-situ resource usage presentation on the Moon, with MSOLO and TRIDENT comprising its 2 main elements. Through Artemis objectives, CLPS shipments will be utilized to carry out science experiments, test innovations, and show abilities to assist NASA check out the Moon and get ready for human deep area expedition objectives.

Picture credit: NASA/Frank Michaux