(Web Desk) - Nasa has been planning to set up a lighthouse on the lunar surface which will guide the astronauts and robots who will soon be exploring the Moon.
Nasa scientists have tested a technology which is expected to work as a 'lighthouse' on the Moon and provide them with real-time data of astronauts and robotic explorers.
According to the space agency, the scientists successfully tested an autonomous navigation system called Lunar Node 1 (LN-1) demonstrator on Odysseus - which is the lander of Intuitive Machines that touched down on the south pole of the Moon on February 22.
According to Nasa, the system - which was tested onboard Odysseus can link orbiters, landers, and astronauts on the Moon and helps in digitally verifying the position of every explorer in relation to other ground stations, networked spacecraft and rovers on the move.
According to Nasa, the system - which was tested onboard Odysseus can link orbiters, landers, and astronauts on the Moon and helps in digitally verifying the position of every explorer in relation to other ground stations, networked spacecraft and rovers on the move.
Scientists believe that this lighthouse will make it safer for explorers to visit the Moon and set up sustainable lunar bases.
The impact crater named Malapert A was used for the landing of Odysseus close to the lunar south pole.
The space agency said that Lunar Node-1 can also be used to augment navigation and communication relays and surface nodes as well as provide increased robustness as well as capability to various users in orbit and on the surface.
“We’ve lit a temporary beacon on the lunar shore,” said Evan Anzalone, LN-1 principal investigator at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Centre, in an official statement.
“Now, we seek to deliver a sustainable local network – a series of lighthouses that point the way for spacecraft and ground crews to safely, confidently spread out and explore," he added.
The scientists tested the LN-1 for two 15-minute transmissions from the surface. The data from the transmissions was collected using the Deep Space Network, which is the giant radio antenna array used for deep-space communication.
LN-1's initial plan was to transmit data till Odysseus was powered down by the scientists on February 29, however, the duration was cut short because of the tilted orientation of the lander.
During the translunar journey of Odysseus, daily tests were carried out on the LN-1 beacon by the Marshall team.