posted 08-07-2023 06:22 PM               

The investigations aboard Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander for the IM-2 mission are destined for the lunar south pole on a ridge not far from Shackleton crater. After landing, the Polar Resources Ice-Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) drill, known as The Regolith Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT), will attempt to drill up to three feet deep, extract lunar soil – called regolith – and deposit it on the surface for water analysis. PRIME-1's other instrument, the Mass Spectrometer observing lunar operations (MSolo), will measure volatile gases that readily escape from the material excavated by TRIDENT.