ILO-1 (Flagship Mission to Lunar South Pole, launching 2025-26 TBD)
ILO-2 (Backup Mission, TBD)
Mission type
Technology, Astronomy
Operator
International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA Hawai'i)
Website
https://iloa.org/the-ilo-mission/
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft type
TBD
Manufacturer
Lander: TBD Telescope: Canadensys Aerospace
Start of mission
Launch date
2025-26 (planned)[1]
Rocket
TBD
Launch site
TBD
Contractor
TBD
Moon lander
Main telescope
Name
ILO-1
Type
TBD
The International Lunar Observatory (ILO) is a private scientific and commercial lunar mission by the International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA Hawai'i)[2] of Kamuela, Hawaii to place a permanent observatory near the South Pole of the Moon to conduct astrophysical studies using an optical telescope and possibly an antenna dish.[3] The mission aims to prove a conceptual design for a lunar observatory that would be reliable, low cost, and fast to implement. A precursor mission, ILO-X[4] consisting of two small imagers (totaling less than 0.6 kg), launched on 15 February 2024 aboard the Intuitive Machines IM-1 mission to the Moon south pole region.[1] It is hoped to be a technology precursor to a future observatories on the Moon, and other commercial initiatives.[5][6][7]
The ILO-1 mission is being organized by the International Lunar Observatory Association[8] and the Space Age Publishing Company.[9] It was planned to be launched in 2008 with development by SpaceDev,[10] and was first delayed to 2013.[11] The prime contractors originally were Moon Express, providing the MX-1E lander,[12] and Canadensys Aerospace, providing the optical telescope system.[13][14] The estimated cost in 2004 was of US$50 million.[15]
^ ab"NASA Redirects Intuitive Machines' First Mission to the Lunar South Pole Region". Intuitive Machines. 6 February 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2023.
^Accessible Lunar Exploration: Science & Communications from the Moon Archived 2018-03-20 at the Wayback Machine. Canadyensis Aerospace. 2018.
^Machines, Intuitive (2020-11-12). "ILOA-IM Announce Agreement for 2021 Lunar Landing and Milky Way Galaxy Center Imaging". Intuitive Machines. Retrieved 2022-04-08.
^ILOA details its ILO-X lunar telescope, wants it on the Moon in 2015. Jon Fingas, Engadget. 28 May 2013.
^Cite error: The named reference Werner 2013 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Lunar Observatories Archived 2018-03-20 at the Wayback Machine.
Robert S. French, Swinburne Astronomy Online.
^"ILOA Hawai'i – To the Galaxy, Moon and Every Place In-Between". Retrieved 2022-04-08.
^World's first mission to the Moon's south pole announced. PhysOrg, 19 July 2013.
^International Lunar Observatory to be Established at Moon's South Pole in 2019 Archived 2018-03-20 at the Wayback Machine. Moon Express- Press Release. 21 July 2017.
^International Lunar Observatory Association, 4 Mission Update January 2018: ILOA & Galaxy Forum - 10 years on Archived 2018-03-20 at the Wayback Machine. ILOS, 20 January 2018.
^First lunar observatory for Moon's south pole in 2019. Kerry Hebden, The Space Journal. 24 July 2017.
^Realizing the International Lunar Observatory. ILO. 2004.
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