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A new mission is headed to the Moon, with hopes of landing on the lunar surface for a chance at a historic landing. But given the recent failures, we are naturally nervous.
Updated: February 15, 9:07am ET: intuitive machines’ Odysseus The lander lifted off Thursday morning aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, marking the beginning of the IM-1 mission. The lander is expected to reach the lunar surface in about eight days.
Updated: February 14, 8:30am ET: The launch was postponed due to a refueling glitch, or more specifically, “nominal methane temperature before stepping into methane load”. According To NASA. SpaceX is now targeting Thursday, February 15 at 1:05 a.m. ET.
The original article is as follows.
on Wednesday, Intuitive Machine is ready to launch its Nova-C lander On the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida is scheduled for 12:57 a.m. ET. The Houston-based company is hoping to become the first company to place a privately owned lander on the lunar surface after a series of failed attempts by others.
If successful, it will certainly be a mission for the books as it will mark the beginning of a new era for the lunar economy. You can watch the long-awaited launch live nasa television or space agency Website, Coverage of the launch is scheduled to begin at 12:15 a.m. ET. SpaceX is also hosting the company’s own livestream of the launch Account On X. You can also connect through the feed given below.
Nova-C lander, named Odysseus, loaded with 12 government-owned and commercial payloads. Six of those payloads are science and technology instruments for NASA, including a radio astronomy instrument, precision landing technology, and a communications and navigation node for upcoming autonomous navigation tests.
The lander is also carrying a camera system designed by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University students that will attempt to separate itself from the lander before touchdown to capture the moment of landing. Also on board is a 1.3-pound dual-camera system called ILO-X that will attempt to capture wide- and narrow-field images of the Milky Way from the moon. Other payloads also include small disks carrying messages from Earth Artwork by Jeff Koons depicting the different phases of the moon,
The lander is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, under which the space agency partners with companies to launch payloads to the Moon on a regular basis with the larger aim of creating a permanent presence on and around Earth’s natural satellite.
However, landing on the Moon is very difficult. Earlier in January, another company Astrobotic had failed in its attempt. to touch the surface of the moon, In April 2023, Japan’s iSpace Hakuto-R M1 crashed on the surface of the moon and Israel’s SpaceIL Beresheet lander A similar fate happened in April 2019 also.
Odysseus It’s expected to land on the moon’s surface on February 22, and we really hope this little guy does.
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