Intuitive Machines has revealed that the launch of the IM-1 mission, which will bring a commercial lander to the Moon, is not expected to take place before the third quarter of this year.
It will take a little longer for Intuitive Machines try to land your lander on the moon. In a results meeting held on Thursday (11), Steve Altemus, CEO of the company, said that the Nova-C lander will only be ready to go to the platform and start preparations for launch in the middle of the third quarter.
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In February, the company revealed it planned to send its lander to Malapert A, a crater near the lunar south pole, in June; the date indicated a delay from the original schedule, which suggested that the landing, via the IM-1 mission, would take place in March.
Now, in his new speech, the director acknowledged that the new date is different from the original expectations, and also highlighted that the new proposal could influence the planning of the next mission.
According to Altemus, the company has made significant progress in testing the lander in recent months, but noted that there are still functional tests to be done. He did not specify what will be done during these procedures, nor did he reveal the schedule to bring the lander to Cape Canaveral, Florida, for launch with the rocket falcon 9from the SpaceX.
Once launched, IM-1 will carry various science experiments under a Commercial Lunar Payload Services program contract with the NASA in 2019. According to the company, the lander will be sent to the crater as a means to support the Artemis program and, hopefully, could make Intuitive Machines the first private company to land on the Moon.
In the future, the company plans to launch the IM-2 mission to the south pole of our natural satellite, carrying the lander and the Micro Nova Hopper robot. He will have the resources to move by jumping on the lunar surface and will be able to enter areas in the shadow of the Moon, with permafrost, and get out of them. Intuitive Machines planned to launch this mission in late 2023, but with changes to the IM-1 schedule, the dates may need to be rescheduled.
Source: Space news
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