Intuitive Machines, a company supported by NASA, is planning to send a rover to the Moon on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on February 14th.
This comes after another NASA-supported company, Astrobiotic Technology, experienced a “critical” fuel loss last month and was unable to land on the Moon.
The Intuitive IM-1 rover, based in Houston, is scheduled to launch atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida at 12:57 a.m. EST on February 14th, sending Intuitive Machines’ robotic rover, named Nova-C “Odysseus,” towards our closest celestial neighbor.
If all goes according to plan, Odysseus will attempt to make history by becoming the first private spacecraft to land softly on the surface of the Moon on February 22nd.
“As we prepare for our IM-1 mission to the Moon, we carry with us a collective spirit of perseverance, fortified by the dedication and hard work of every member of our team,” said Steve Altemus, President and CEO of Intuitive Machines, in a statement.
“Their tireless efforts have brought us to this moment, where we stand on the precipice of history, humbled by the weight of our mission but emboldened by the boundless possibilities that lie ahead,” he added.
If successful, the United States will return to the lunar surface after approximately 50 years. The United States has not attempted a Moon landing since Apollo 17 in December 1972.
The IM-1 mission will be the company’s first landing attempt as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, a significant component of NASA’s Artemis program for lunar exploration.
Scientific and technological payloads sent to the lunar surface through the CLPS program aim to establish the foundations for human missions and sustainable human presence on the Moon.
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The source of the article is from the blog enp.gr