The first Lunar lander of the Nova-C class is about to be launched by Intuitive Machines.
As a component of the Artemis campaign and NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) project, the mission is slated to launch no earlier than Wednesday, February 14, 2024, at 12:57 a.m.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will make the historic liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
President and CEO Steve Altemus described the project’s immense significance as follows: “Their unwavering efforts have brought us to this moment, where we stand on the precipice of history, humbled by the gravity of our mission, yet emboldened by the boundless possibilities that lie ahead.”
After meeting all integration requirements, the Nova-C lunar lander is now securely housed inside SpaceX’s payload fairing and prepared to travel to the Moon.
The spacecraft is scheduled to land close to the lunar south pole at Malapert A, a satellite crater. This region has the name Charles Malapert after the Belgian astronomer of the 17th century. It is made up of lunar highland material similar to that found at the Apollo 16 landing site.
The IM-1 landing site is situated close to the Malapert Massif, one of the 13 potential zones being considered for NASA’s Artemis III mission, and is roughly 300 km from the Moon’s south pole.
The mission’s significance for fostering further manned exploration and the creation of a long-term human presence on the lunar surface is highlighted by the choice of this landing site.
Weeks have passed since the first private mission under the program, the Peregrine lunar lander, failed owing to a fuel leak after launch. The spacecraft was delivering payloads to the Moon for NASA.
In addition to scientific equipment and technological payloads, the mission carries humankind’s ambitions to push the limits of our knowledge and capabilities in space, as the entire globe awaits its launch.
NASA’s Artemis program envisions that the success of the IM-1 mission will open the door for future trips and the ultimate return of people to the Moon.
