The IM-1 Nova-C series lunar lander of the American company Intuitive Machines was successfully launched into space on Wednesday, February 14. The device was launched to the desired orbit by businessman Elon Musk’s Falcon-9 rocket of the American aviation company SpaceX. This situation was officially reported page SpaceX is on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
IM-1 needs to cover a distance of 370 thousand kilometers. If the mission goes as planned, the module will reach lunar orbit on February 21 and touch down on the satellite surface on February 22.
If successful, IM-1 could become the first privately owned vehicle in history to land safely on the Moon.
Intuitive Machines received $118 million from NASA to conduct a series of experiments on the Moon. The company has also added clients such as sportswear maker Columbia Sportswear. The IM-1 is wearing metallic Columbia jacket fabric, which will be tested for its thermal insulation properties in space.
Additionally, contemporary artist Jeff Koons sent several of his sculptures from IM-1 to the Moon.
Formerly Japanese space module SLIM capsized Landing on the lunar surface.