WASHINGTON — Intuitive Machines offered a clearer projection of when its first lunar lander mission will launch while also giving a cloudier forecast of its finances.
The company announced Aug. 14 as part of its second quarter financial results that its IM-1 lunar lander mission is slated for launch on a Falcon 9 during a six-day window that opens Nov. 15 at Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center. A backup launch window is available in December.
During an earnings call, Steve Altemus, chief executive of Intuitive Machines, said the company was wrapping up testing of the Nova-C lander for IM-1 in advance of shipment to Cape Canaveral. “Today, our IM-1 lander is complete and will be prepared for delivery in September.”
He cautioned, though, that the date was subject to availability of the Eastern Range and of LC-39A, which is used for crew and cargo missions to the International Space Station and Falcon Heavy launches. “With the congestion for launches using pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center, we recognize that higher-priority missions are always possible,” he said.
IM-1 is not only the first lunar lander mission by Intuitive Machines but also potentially the first lander as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar lander is complete but awaiting the readiness of its launcher, United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur. That rocket’s inaugural flight, with Peregrine as the prime payload, is planned for no earlier than the fourth quarter.
IM-1 is the first of three lunar lander missions that the company has in development as part of CLPS. Altemus said the company is building the lander structure and integrating NASA payloads for the IM-2 mission. He did not give a projected launch date for IM-2, which was once expected to launch before the end of the year, several months after IM-1.
He said the company is awaiting a decision on a proposal for another CLPS mission,…
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