Los Angeles: U.S. company Intuitive Machines is set to launch its second lunar mission later this month to deliver NASA science to the lunar surface, NASA said on Friday.
The mission, codenamed IM-2, will lift off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida no earlier than Wednesday, Feb. 26.
After the launch, Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander, Athena, will spend approximately one week in transit to the moon before landing on the lunar surface no earlier than Thursday, March 6.
The lander will carry NASA science investigations and technology demonstrations to further understanding of the moon’s environment and help prepare for future human missions to the lunar surface, according to NASA.
Launching as a rideshare with the IM-2 delivery, NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft also will begin its journey to lunar orbit, where it will map the distribution of the different forms of water on the moon.
