Dueling Moon lander missions await liftoff with SpaceX, ULA in Florida
The IM-1 mission will carry NASA and other customer science payloads to the lunar south pole for a two-week mission. The lander will also carry a piece of art by Jeff Koons that will remain on the Moon.
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CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – Two robotic Moon landers carrying NASA science are now in Florida awaiting liftoff after the Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander arrived from Texas this week.
Houston-based company Intuitive Machines announced the IM-1 mission lander was successfully shipped from Texas to Cape Canaveral ahead of the planned launch with SpaceX in January.
Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander loaded in Houston up for shipment to Florida. (Image: Intuitive Machines)
(FOX Weather)
The IM-1 mission will deliver NASA and other customer science payloads to the lunar south pole for a two-week mission. The lander will also carry a piece of art by Jeff Koons that will remain on the Moon.
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"Reaching this tremendous milestone has built a four-year foundation of technical excellence earned through challenges, failures, and triumph; I’m so proud of this team leading the United States back to the Moon," Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus said in a statement. "The opportunity to deliver the first of three manifested lunar landers with NASA and commercial payloads is an incredible moment for the entire commercial aerospace industry, and I’m looking forward to this launch as well as our subsequent missions in the near future."
Intuitive Machines said SpaceX is targeting launch no earlier than Jan. 12, when the multi-day launch window opens.
Another private lunar mission is set for liftoff later this month from Cape Canaveral.
Astrobotic's Peregrine lander is slated to launch on the first flight of United Launch Alliance's Vulcan rocket on Dec. 24 at 1:50 a.m. EST.
Astrobotic's Peregrine Moon lander at Astrotech facilities in Florida. (Image: ULA)
(ULA)
Both robotic missions are part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, selected to deliver science to the Moon ahead of the first Artemis astronaut missions to the lunar south pole in late 2025.
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No private company has successfully landed on the Moon before.
With both Moon landers scheduled to launch a few weeks apart, it's anyone's guess which commercial lander will be the first to touch down on the lunar surface. Both launch dates could slip or be rescheduled due to weather or technical issues.
Last week, when asked about competition between the two commercial companies, Astrobotic CEO John Thornton said while there is "some level of competition," it is not at the top of his mind.
"We are trying to create a movement of commercial deliveries to the surface of the moon. The most important and top priority of that is the industry's success," Thornton said. "We need this industry to succeed. We need this program to succeed. That is the number one priority for us."