Intuitive Machines first moon mission begins after SpaceX launch

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.

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.

“Success of every landing is never assured,” Kearns said. “NASA is using CLPS to get our science investigations and technologies tests done on the moon surface and to develop a commercial community of robotic landing service providers for…