The IM-1 mission marked the first non-governmental lander to safely reach the Moon in history. The Nova-C lander named Odysseus landed at about 6:23 p.m. EST (2323 UTC).
Intuitive Machines and SpaceX stood down from the first launch opportunity for the Nova-C lander. The Falcon 9 rocket supporting the mission is set to lift off on Thursday, Feb. 15, at 1:05 a.m. EST.
A crew access arm was lifted into place at Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral on Monday, as SpaceX races to ready the pad for its first Crew Dragon launch with astronauts as soon as January.
The first lunar lander aiming for a touchdown at the Moon’s south pole has a new launch date. Intuitive Machines said Friday it is targeting the launch of its Nova-C lander on the IM-1 mission for no earlier than January 12, 2024.
Intuitive Machines, under contract to carry NASA science instruments to the moon on a privately-developed robotic spacecraft, said this week its first commercial lunar mission will target landing in October 2021 near a deep, narrow valley named Vallis Schröteri.