October 28, 2019:
Last week, representatives of Odyssey Space Research supported a demonstration of lunar lander technology with Lockheed Martin at the 2019 International Astronautical Congress in Washington DC.
The demonstration included Orion-derived software for the Artemis 1 mission and prototype guidance, navigation, and control software for a descent vehicle. Both sets of software ran on a high-fidelity Orion hardware emulator with coordinated, high-resolution crew displays and window scenes to provide a realistic, 3-D environment. The descent vehicle flies an automated approach to take the lander toward the lunar surface landing site, before switching to manual mode allowing visitors an opportunity to pilot the vehicle to the Moon’s surface. In addition to the flight demonstration, an augmented-reality tour of the lunar lander was presented to give visitors a more detailed look at the vehicle and the surroundings.
The conceptual designs presented in the demo took another step towards becoming a reality, with the exciting announcement of a National Team that will be taking American astronauts to the Moon in 2024. The team will be led by Blue Origin who is proposing to build the descent element of the system. Lockheed Martin will build the ascent element, and Northrop Grumman will build the transfer element. Odyssey is looking forward to contributing to this exciting effort to get people back to the Moon – including the first woman!
Interested in helping us get to the Moon and other destinations? Visit our Careers page to see current job openings!
