Moon Company Intuitive Machines Begins First Mission After SpaceX Launch (cnbc.com) 7
Texas-based Intuitive Machines' inaugural moon mission began early Thursday morning, heading toward what could be the first U.S. lunar landing in more than 50 years. From a report: Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander launched from Florida on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, beginning the IM-1 mission. "It is a profoundly humbling moment for all of us at Intuitive Machines. The opportunity to return the United States to the moon for the first time since 1972 is a feat of engineering that demands a hunger to explore," Intuitive Machines vice president of space systems Trent Martin said during a press conference.
The IM-1 lander, named "Odysseus" after the mythological Greek hero, is carrying 12 government and commercial payloads -- six of which are for NASA under an $118 million contract. NASA leadership emphasized before the launch that "IM-1 is an Intuitive Machines' mission, it's not a NASA mission." But it marks the second mission under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which aims to deliver science projects and cargo to the moon with increasing regularity in support of the agency's Artemis crew program. The agency views CLPS missions as "a learning experience," NASA's deputy associate administrator for exploration in the science mission directorate, Joel Kearns, told press before the launch.
UPDATE: See their first images transmitted from space....
The IM-1 lander, named "Odysseus" after the mythological Greek hero, is carrying 12 government and commercial payloads -- six of which are for NASA under an $118 million contract. NASA leadership emphasized before the launch that "IM-1 is an Intuitive Machines' mission, it's not a NASA mission." But it marks the second mission under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which aims to deliver science projects and cargo to the moon with increasing regularity in support of the agency's Artemis crew program. The agency views CLPS missions as "a learning experience," NASA's deputy associate administrator for exploration in the science mission directorate, Joel Kearns, told press before the launch.
UPDATE: See their first images transmitted from space....
Starbucks (Score:1)
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Except: part of the holdup for NASA landing people on the Moon again is SpaceX - that's who NASA is paying for the lander portion, and they're behind schedule.
Re:Starbucks (Score:4, Informative)
Of course Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin had a hand in slowing down their efforts by suing NASA because of their award to SpaceX, stopping all progress on the contract while the lawyers figured out that the Blue Origin legal complaint was baseless
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SpaceX will have a Starbucks on the moon before NASA manages anything meaningful there.
After watching The Slaughtering at Twitter HR post-Elon, I kind of doubt SpaceX has any plans to pay the lunar export fees in order to license the mandatory shot of abject pretentiousness that comes in every cup.
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If they show the tip screen before I've tried my drink, I'm staying on Earth.
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said the retard ignorant of the Apollo program.
About time, after 52 years of NOT doing anything ! (Score:4, Insightful)