IM-2 Polar Mission to be Launched to the Moon by SpaceX

Intuitive Machines has selected SpaceX to launch its IM-2 polar mission to the Moon. There are currently five awarded Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) missions to the lunar surface in the next three years. Intuitive Machines (IM) has two of the missions and both will be launched by SpaceX.

“Signing with SpaceX for our IM-2 Polar Mission, our second scheduled lunar landing, is more than affordable quality lunar transport.”

IM president and CEO, Steve Altemus.

“Signing with SpaceX for our IM-2 Polar Mission, our second scheduled lunar landing, is more than affordable quality lunar transport,” said IM president and CEO, Steve Altemus. “Launching Nova-C on a rocket with a proven record of reliability and outstanding value is an assurance to NASA and our commercial payload customers that IM is dedicated to sticking the landing in back-to-back Moon missions.”

NASA awarded IM the company’s second payload delivery contract award under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, October 16, 2020. IM has packaged the CLPS payload with two other high profile NASA technology payloads into IM-2 Polar Mission.

“Our Lunar Payload and Data Service (LPDS) program matures with each awarded mission to the Moon,” said Altemus. “That maturity is essential for creating a reliable and repeatable lunar landing service that brings us closer to sustained lunar exploration and development.” IM-2 Polar Mission will launch on a Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than 2022.

“We’re honored to launch Intuitive Machines’ important missions to the lunar surface,” said SpaceX Vice President of Commercial Sales Tom Ochinero. “These missions, in partnership with NASA, will help further the goal of extending humanity’s reach beyond Earth.”

NASA selected Intuitive Machines to deliver the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment (PRIME-1) drill, combined with a mass spectrometer, to the Moon by December 2022. The ice drilling mission is the Houston-based company’s second Moon contract award under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.

The approximately 88-pound payload will be delivered to the Moon’s South Pole as a precursor to the TRIDENT drill and the MSOLO that will fly on VIPER, a mobile robot that will search for water and ice at the Moon’s South Pole.

(Source: Intuitive Machines news release. Image provided)