Successful launch: US sends “Nova-C” to the moon – World –

After several failures in the past, the American company Intuitive Machines has now sent the “Nova-C” lander to the moon. Launched on Thursday, February 15, 2024 at 1:05 am EST (06:05 am GMT) from the Cape Canaveral Spaceport in Florida on a “Falcon 9” rocket from Elon Musk's company SpaceX. The mission was broadcast live by NASA.

Originally scheduled for Wednesday, it was postponed by a day due to technical issues. In particular, deviations in the temperature of the methane fuel led to this conclusion. Despite the delay, the moon landing is on target on February 22.

The attempt would mark the first successful U.S. moon landing and the first commercial landing since the Apollo missions five decades earlier. The “Nova-C” lander, also known as “Odysseus”, is part of NASA's “CLPS” program, which aims to partner with private companies to conduct cost-effective lunar landings, paving the way for future manned missions.

About the size of an old-fashioned British telephone booth with aluminum legs, the “Nova-C” weighs about 700 kilograms and can carry about 130 kilograms of cargo. Most of this inventory consists of NASA research equipment, while the rest is used by commercial companies for various projects.

The moon landing is one of the most technically demanding endeavors in space travel, with a high failure rate. This year already two missions did not go as planned. However, intuitive engines believe that “Nova-C” can set a new milestone in the history of space travel.