Intuitive Machines, SpaceX to launch Odysseus moon lander on Valentine’s Day

The first private lunar landing mission will take place as Intuitive Machines and SpaceX have decided on a launch date which is said to be February 14, which is Valentine’s Day. The Odysseus moon lander will take the direct route to the lunar south pole, unlike ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3 mission. The mission is named as IM-1 moon mission which has the major objective of landing on the lunar surface successfully. If the mission is successful, it will become the first private mission to land on the Moon. Know more about the mission and the Odysseus moon lander.

Intuitive Machines and SpaceX IM-1 moon mission

According to the Space.com reports, the IM-1 moon mission is expected to be launched on February 14 at 12:57 a.m. EST from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The launch will be conducted with SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket which will consist of Intuitive Machines' robotic Nova-C lander, Odysseus. The moon lander is targeting February 22, 2024, as the landing date if everything goes according to the plan. President and CEO of Intuitive Machines said, “As we prepare to embark on our IM-1 mission to the moon, we carry with us the collective spirit of perseverance, fueled by the dedication and hard work of everyone on our team.”

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As per reports, the mission consists of a three-day launch window which is February 14, 15 and 16 for this month due to the limited period of sunlight in the lunar south pole region. According to SpaceX, if the launch of the IM-1 moon mission is not successful in the three-day window, then they will target for for March launch.

About Odysseus moon lander

Odysseus' moon lander consists of 12 major payloads including six instruments from NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program (CLPS). Additionally, the lander will consist of six commercial payloads. According to a Tech Crunch report, NASA is investing about $118 million on Intuitive Machines to take its payload to the lunar south pole. The Odysseus moon lander is expected to work for 7 days on the Moon before the lunar night descends.

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