The company's mission, known as IM-1, aims to achieve a significant milestone by deploying its Nova-C commercial lunar lander. If successful, Nova-C will mark the first instance of a commercial U.S. lunar lander reaching the moon's surface. This mission follows the recent challenges faced by Astrobotic Technology, another private U.S. space company, in its attempt to place a lander on the moon.
Despite the setback, Intuitive Machines had experienced a surge in its stock price, with shares ending Friday's session up by 32.01%, marking the largest daily gain since April 26, 2023. However, the stock closed Tuesday's session with a 2.8% decline.
SpaceX announced the delay via Twitter, attributing it to off-nominal methane temperatures prior to loading methane into the rocket. The new target launch time is set for Thursday, February 15, at 1:05 a.m. ET, after the initial launch window was scheduled for 12:57 a.m. Eastern time on Wednesday.
The IM-1 mission holds significance as Intuitive Machines' first attempt at lunar landing within NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, which is part of the broader Artemis program aimed at returning U.S. astronauts to the moon. The launch is strategically timed to coincide with the monthly lunar blackout period, ensuring favorable lighting conditions near the moon's south pole.
The IM-1 mission will carry various instruments provided by NASA, focusing on areas such as plume-surface interactions, space weather, precision landing technologies, and communication and navigation nodes for future autonomous navigation technologies.
Commercial moon landings, including the IM-1 mission, serve as crucial scouting missions for the Artemis program. NASA recently announced revised timelines for its Artemis missions, targeting September 2025 for its first crewed mission around the moon and September 2026 for the mission to land astronauts near the lunar south pole.
In a separate development, Japan's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) successfully landed on the moon last month, although an image taken by SLIM's rover showed the probe in an upside-down position on the lunar surface.
Over the past 52 weeks, shares of Intuitive Machines have experienced a decline of 59.6%, contrasting with the S&P 500 index's gain of 19.8%.
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