SpaceX Pushes Launch of Odysseus Moon Lander to Thursday

The mission is part of NASA's commercial lunar payload services initiative and represents the first U.S. lunar landing in more than 50 years.

Kimberly Johnson

Wednesday, February 14, 2024 at 01:30 PM ET

Verified

The new launch window of the SpaceX Falcon 9 launch of the IM-1 mission is now rescheduled for 1:05 a.m. EST Thursday. [Credit: SpaceX]

Key Takeaways:

SpaceX's launch of Intuitive Machines' IM-1 robotic moon lander was postponed due to "off-nominal methane temperatures."
The mission, which aims to be the first U.S. lunar landing in over 50 years, is now rescheduled for Thursday, 1:05 a.m. EST.
IM-1 is part of NASA's CLPS initiative and Artemis campaign, carrying payloads to the moon's South Pole for lunar environment research, following a failed commercial lunar mission attempt last month.

See a mistake? Contact us.

A technical issue derailed SpaceX’s launch of the Intuitive Machines IM-1 robotic moon lander Tuesday evening, postponing the mission until later in the week.

The IM-1 mission, which is poised to be the first U.S. lunar landing in more than 50 years, is headed to the South Pole region of the moon as part of NASA’s commercial lunar payload services (CLPS) initiative and Artemis campaign.