Intuitive Machines, a private aerospace company, is gearing up for the launch of its first lunar lander mission in collaboration with NASA. Although the exact launch date remains uncertain, both parties are working towards a mid-February liftoff. The mission, known as IM-1, will carry payloads from NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, as well as payloads for commercial customers.
Joel Kearns, the deputy associate administrator for exploration in NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, expressed excitement about the upcoming mission, stating, “In February, America will be taking another step for science and commerce on the surface of the moon. Intuitive Machines is ready to launch their first mission.”
The lunar lander, named Odysseus by Intuitive Machines, has been enclosed within the payload fairing of SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket. Trent Martin, the vice president of space systems at Intuitive Machines, refrained from providing a specific launch date but mentioned a three-day launch window in mid-February. Any launch within this period would set the stage for a moon landing attempt on February 22. The company estimates that it will take approximately one week for IM-1 to reach the moon after liftoff.
However, there has been some confusion surrounding the launch date. On January 23, NASA initially announced that IM-1 would launch no earlier than February 14. However, the agency later deleted the post and replaced it with one stating that the launch would occur as soon as mid-February. Industry sources have also indicated that the launch is planned for February 14.
To add to the complexity, NASA released a separate statement on January 31, hours after the briefing, revealing that SpaceX’s Crew-8 commercial crew mission is scheduled for launch as early as February 22. Both Crew-8 and IM-1 will launch from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A, the only pad currently approved for Falcon 9 crew missions. This launch complex is also equipped to load liquid oxygen and methane propellants into the IM-1 lunar lander while it is on the pad shortly before liftoff.
Steve Stich, NASA’s commercial crew program manager, mentioned during a January 25 briefing that if IM-1 launches in mid-February, Crew-8 would likely launch on February 29 or March 1. However, if the lander mission experiences delays, Crew-8 could potentially launch as early as February 22. This suggests that both SpaceX and Intuitive Machines have yet to confirm their readiness for a mid-February launch.
IM-1 will carry six science and technology demonstration payloads from NASA, including a laser retroreflector, a stereo camera for studying dust plumes created by the lander’s engines, and a radio science instrument. Intuitive Machines was awarded a CLPS task order for the IM-1 mission in 2019, with a total value of $118 million after modifications. The NASA payloads themselves are estimated to be worth $10-11 million, according to Chris Culbert, NASA CLPS program manager.
This mission will be the second CLPS mission to launch, following Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander on January 8. Unfortunately, the Peregrine lander encountered a propellant leak shortly after launch, leading to an early termination of the mission when the spacecraft reentered Earth’s atmosphere on January 18. Additionally, the Japanese space agency JAXA’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) successfully landed on the moon on January 19 but experienced a thruster malfunction that caused it to land in the wrong orientation. As a result, the spacecraft had limited access to solar power during its two-week lunar day.
Trent Martin acknowledged the importance of learning from previous missions’ failures, stating, “We have learned lessons from all of our counterparts that have come before us. We look at what the failures were that they had, we look at our systems along the way and ensure that we’ve at least thought about those systems.” Intuitive Machines aims to avoid similar issues and ensure a successful lunar landing.
Kearns commended Astrobotic and JAXA for their transparency regarding the challenges they faced during their missions. He believes that this openness helps other companies understand what went wrong and take precautions to prevent similar issues in their own approaches.
As the launch of Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 mission draws near, the anticipation for another significant step in lunar exploration and commercial opportunities continues to build. The collaboration between Intuitive Machines and NASA signifies the ongoing efforts to expand scientific knowledge and pave the way for future space exploration endeavors.
