Dymon signed a contract to fly the lunar rover YAOKI on Intuitive Machines’ second mission to the Moon
Dymon has signed a contract for lunar transportation with Intuitive Machines, a U.S. company developing lunar landers. The lunar rover YAOKI will fly to the lunar south pole onboard Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar lander in the second half of 2023. After landing on the moon, YAOKI will conduct lunar operations, such as driving on the moon surface remotely from Earth and acquiring close-up image data of the lunar surface.
In accordance with this agreement, Dymon has partially revised its Project YAOKI plan and decided to slide the plan to fly YAOKI to the moon aboard Astrobotic Technology’s lunar lander Peregrine on CLPS-1 to the Astrobotic Technology’s next mission.
Background Info
We have developed an ultra-compact and ultra-lightweight lunar rover, YAOKI, and are taking on the challenge of exploration missions for future lunar development, and provide services as a lunar experiment platform that can be used inexpensively and frequently. We are negotiating with companies that provide lunar transportation services so that we can continuously send multiple rovers to the moon. In 2019, we signed a lunar shipping contract with Astrobotic Technology, and now we have also signed an agreement with Intuitive Machines. YAOKI has obtained a track record of reliable lunar operation with built-in battery operation in our first mission, and plans long-term operation by charging the lunar surface in our second mission.
About rockets and lunar lander
The contract to fly YAOKI is Intuitive Machines’ Mission 2 (IM-2), which is planned for launch in the second half of 2023. The rocket is the Falcon9 of SpaceX. It will be transported by Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander Nova-C, and will land near the south pole of the Moon.
The value provided by YAOKI
As a roadmap for international lunar development in the future, the construction of a lunar base is planned, and for that purpose, lunar exploration and demonstration of various elemental technologies are indispensable. However, at present, the cost of monthly transportation is about 100 million yen or more per kg, and the cost of demonstration experiments increases as the equipment becomes larger. It also means a greater risk of loss in the event of failure.
By taking advantage of its ultra-compact size and ultra-light weight, YAOKI can be carried to the Moon at low cost and at a high frequency. YAOKI is equipped with various elemental technologies necessary for robots, such as sensors, motors, batteries, and communication devices, and can be used for demonstration experiments on the Moon. By utilizing YAOKI, you can gain a track record of operating on the Moon to help more companies enter lunar development. YAOKI is the world’s first multi-company lunar demonstration rover. We are calling on various companies to collaborate so that their technologies and services can demonstrate their competitiveness in the expanding lunar market.
About Intuitive Machines
Intuitive Machines is a space company headquartered in Houston, Texas, USA. It provides lunar access services, orbital services, lunar data services, space products and infrastructure. Selected for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Transport Service (CLPS), the lunar module carrying NASA and civilian payloads is scheduled to be launched by the first quarter of 2023.
