Intuitive Machines, a space exploration, infrastructure and services company, has announced a new launch date for the historic IM-1 Moon mission. The mission will be launched on January 12, 2024, in coordination with SpaceX.
The launch of DOGE-1 was announced by Elon Musk on Twitter on May 9, 2021, as a joint launch in the Nova-C/IM-1 mission.
The company had previously targeted a launch window between November 15-20. “Lunar missions are inherently challenging; schedule changes and mission realignments are a natural consequence of leading the exploration of the Moon,” said Steve Altemus, Co-Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer.
The IM-1 mission will be the company’s first Moon landing attempt as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (“CLPS”) initiative. This initiative forms an important part of NASA’s Artemis Moon exploration efforts. Science and technology payloads sent to the lunar surface within the scope of CLPS aim to form the basis for human missions and a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface.
One of the payloads in the Nova-c IM-1 Moon mission is DOGE-1. The mission will be carried by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket carrying the lunar lander along with different payloads. Intuitive Machines has just received its flight manifest and is now ready to fly.
*This is not investment advice.
