Speakers
Description
Lunar Outpost’s Lunar Voyage 1 (LV1) MAPP rover mission launched from Cape Canaveral, FL on February 26, 2025, aboard the Intuitive Machine 2 (IM-2) lander. The rover included payloads from multiple customers and Lunar Outpost Europe’s (LOEU) Thermal Switch demonstration. Following 6 days in transit from Earth to the Moon, and 3 days in Lunar Orbit, the rover survived a challenging, off-nominal landing on March 6, 2025. The MAPP rover continued to send health statuses through the lander to Earth for 2.7 hours from the lander’s final position in a cold, shadowed lunar crater until the Intuitive Machine lander, Athena, ran out of battery power and cut all communication. This presentation details pre-mission thermal analysis for the rover, leading to rapid response thermal analysis efforts during the mission which supported real-time operational decision-making. Additionally, post-mission data correlation and analysis to enhance future thermal model prediction fidelity will be covered. The talk will also inform lunar night survival for future expanded-scope rover missions including LOEU thermal technology development and flight heritage demonstrations.
