IM-1 Moon mission delayed; here’s when SpaceX will try again for liftoff

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BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — The second launch in NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program faced a delay, SpaceX announced Tuesday night.

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The company stood down from the launch of its Falcon 9 rocket, scheduled for 12:57 a.m. Wednesday at Kennedy Space Center, citing “off-normal methane temperatures.”

The rocket will play an important role in getting the mission underway, as it will carry the Nova-C lunar lander to space.

Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 mission is targeting a soft landing on the Moon’s South Pole.

The lander, named Odysseus, will carry several NASA and commercial payloads.

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It will also demonstrate precision landing technologies, and new communication and navigation capabilities.

NASA said this mission will be an important step for future Artemis missions.

Odysseus is also equipped with a project from students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.

“EagleCam” would be the first student-built project to land on the Moon.

The university said it will take a picture of the lander right before it sets down.

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SpaceX said liftoff is now scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 15 at 1:05 a.m.

SpaceX said after separation, the first stage booster will land at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.

There’s a good chance you’ll hear a sonic boom several minutes after that happens.

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