Intuitive machines The company said earlier this week that it was postponing the mission of the first lunar lander to mid-February in coordination with launch provider SpaceX.
The Houston, Texas-based company said the new launch window “comes after unfavorable weather conditions led to shifts in SpaceX’s launch manifest.”
The new launch target date, which falls a full month after the original January 12-16 period, is due to the mission profile: Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C spacecraft aims to land near the moon’s south pole, requiring specific lighting conditions. Provide a number Only a few days each month.
The company is also limited by the availability of launch infrastructure. The lunar lander must be launched from a designated launch site at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Launch Complex 39A, because it must be fueled with oxygen and methane fuel before launch. This pad is the only one equipped with a tower to facilitate access to the lander for fueling.
The original launch window would have had Nova-C landing on the Moon around January 19 or shortly after, because the lander takes a direct path to reach lunar orbit. While Intuitive Machines has not specified a specific launch period, it is increasingly likely that this will coincide with the planned landing of another privately developed lunar lander. Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander is targeting a February 23 date for a lunar landing, which means we could see two specially developed American spacecraft land on the lunar surface in the same week.
Both landers were developed as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, an initiative to order commercial landers to deliver scientific and research payloads to the lunar surface. Nova-C will carry six payloads for NASA as part of this initial mission, and has been awarded two additional contracts from CLPS for lunar cargo delivery.
Overall, the new launch window represents a minimal delay for Intuitive Machines, which aims to make getting to the moon a cornerstone of its business. according to A presentation was released last Septemberwhen the company announced it was going public through a merger with a blank check company, Intuitive Machines expects to generate $279 million in revenue from landing services next year alone.
Intuitive Machines also creates business segments related to orbital services, such as satellite servicing and refueling, providing lunar data services and selling other space products.