Intuitive Machines to Launch First Lunar Mission with SpaceX Falcon 9

Tuesday - February 20 2024, 13:00 UTC - 9 months ago

Intuitive Machines and SpaceX are joining forces for the IM-1 mission, which will launch the first privately developed spacecraft to land on the Moon. Named after the legendary Greek hero, the Odysseus Lander will carry various scientific payloads and will operate for 14 days on the lunar surface.

In a historic collaboration, Intuitive Machines and SpaceX are teaming up to launch the IM-1 mission, marking the first privately developed lunar landing attempt as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. Named after the legendary Greek hero, the Odysseus Lander will be carried into space by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. Standing at 4.0 meters tall and 1.57 meters wide, the lander is equipped with 6 landing legs and has a launch mass of 1908 kg .

It will carry approximately 100 kg of payload to the lunar surface, powered by solar panels generating 200 W of power. The lander will use liquid methane and liquid oxygen as fuel, with a 25 amp-hr battery and a 28 VDC system for backup. Communication with the lander will be enabled through S-band technology.Among the scientific payloads onboard are the Laser Retro-Reflector Array (LRA), the Navigation Doppler Lidar for Precise Velocity and Range Sensing (NDL), the Lunar Node 1 Navigation Demonstrator (LN-1), the Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies (SCALPSS), and the Radio wave Observation at the Lunar Surface of the photoElectron Sheath (ROLSES) .

The mission, scheduled for launch on February 15, 2024, will have a duration of 14 Earth days on the lunar surface, conducting groundbreaking research and experiments.