{"id":9909,"date":"2025-02-25T23:15:11","date_gmt":"2025-02-25T15:15:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-productionenv-bjg9h2g2bgg5b8aa.southeastasia-01.azurewebsites.net\/news\/spacex-launches-intuitive-machines-2nd-moon-lander-3-rideshare-spacecraft\/"},"modified":"2025-02-25T23:15:11","modified_gmt":"2025-02-25T15:15:11","slug":"spacex-launches-intuitive-machines-2nd-moon-lander-3-rideshare-spacecraft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/news\/spacex-launches-intuitive-machines-2nd-moon-lander-3-rideshare-spacecraft\/","title":{"rendered":"SpaceX launches Intuitive Machines\u2019 2nd Moon lander, 3 rideshare spacecraft"},"content":{"rendered":"<figure id=\"attachment_68838\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68838\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68838\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250226_IM-2_streak_MC-1.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"584\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250226_IM-2_streak_MC-1.jpeg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250226_IM-2_streak_MC-1-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250226_IM-2_streak_MC-1-678x452.jpeg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250226_IM-2_streak_MC-1-768x512.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68838\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A streak shot of SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket as it launched the IM-2 mission for Intuitive Machines and sent its Nova-C lander, Athena, to a lunar transfer orbit. Image: Michael Cain\/Spaceflight Now<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Intuitive Machines is heading back to the Moon following its first trip a year ago.<\/p>\n<p>The company based in Houston, Texas, sent another of its Nova-C class vehicles to attempt a landing no earlier than March 6 and begin a 10-Earth day-long mission. The mission began with a launch onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Feb. 26 at 7:16 p.m. EST (0016 UTC).<\/p>\n<p>This is the fourth mission to launch as part of NASA\u2019s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Program. It\u2019s an endeavor to bring science and technology to the surface of the Moon at a lower cost to the space agency.<\/p>\n<p>NASA paid Intuitive Machines more than $62 million to transport two science payloads to the surface of the Moon.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"YouTube video player\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/7OapwBAVQI4?si=Dts-5gOK6f5yrG6o\" width=\"678\" height=\"381\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><span data-mce-type=\"bookmark\" style=\"display: inline-block; width: 0px; overflow: hidden; line-height: 0;\" class=\"mce_SELRES_start\">\ufeff<\/span><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019re very excited. We\u2019re feeling confident,\u201d said Justin Kugler, the Director of Business Development at Intuitive Machines, ahead of the launch. \u201cWe learned a lot of lessons on IM-1 that we have fed forward into Athena, we\u2019re calling her \u2018Addie\u2019 for short, and the team is ready.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The flight is similar to IM\u2019s first mission, which saw the lander, named Odysseus or \u201cOddie\u201d for short, touch down at the Malapert A crater near the South Pole region on Feb. 22, 2024. However, part of the landing gear broke and the lander ended up at a 30 degree angle, but was still able to execute much of its mission.<\/p>\n<p>Oddie powered down after six days on the surface bringing the mission to an end.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI call IM-1 our barnstorming flight because we were really learning how to fly as we went. And because of the fast transit window that we take, we don\u2019t have the weeks to months that the lower-energy trajectories have to make adjustments,\u201d Kugler said. \u201cSo we really were troubleshooting on the fly. So really taking forward those operational lessons learned and how we control and stage the vehicle during that transition from the Earth to the Moon and then in lunar orbit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd then we also have worked with our global communications network to really make sure that everything is ready to go and that we\u2019ve got smooth handoffs and we\u2019ve done full-scale, real-time simulations with our global ground stations, as well as our ops team, and I think everybody\u2019s ready to go.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68819\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68819\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68819\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_IM-1_landing.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"478\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_IM-1_landing.jpg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_IM-1_landing-300x164.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_IM-1_landing-678x370.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_IM-1_landing-768x419.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68819\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Intuitive Machines\u2019 IM-1 Mission Nova-C lander, named Odysseus, approaches landing on the Moon in February 2024. Image: Intuitive Machines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>This time around, Addie will be landing closer to the Moon\u2019s South Pole at a site called Mons Mouton, a mountain roughly the size of Alaska\u2019s Mount McKinley, also known as Mount Denali. Mons Mouton was named in 2023 in honor of NASA mathematician and so-called \u201chuman computer\u201d Melba Roy Mouton.<\/p>\n<p>The mountain was previously chosen as the landing site for Astrobotic\u2019s Griffin lander, which was originally going to carry NASA\u2019s Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER) mission.<\/p>\n<p>Kugler said achieving a successful touchdown at that landing site is not \u201ccritically important\u201d for science, \u201cbut from a national and geopolitical perspective as well.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Chinese government has made no secret of its that their ambitions for their program are not just flags and footprints and it\u2019s not just for the sake of science,\u201d Kugler said. \u201cThey\u2019re going to the Moon because they believe that there are valuable materials that they can use to build up their industry without dependence on Western markets.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd we know that they don\u2019t share the same values of free enterprise and fair use that we do see in the U.S. and with our allies. And there\u2019s a very real concern that they will take a similar approach to the Moon as what they\u2019ve done in Southeast Asia, with things like the Belt and Road Initiative and the artificial islands that they\u2019ve build to try to block some of our allies out of their own waterways. And we can\u2019t let that happen on the Moon.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68820\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68820\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68820\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_IM-2_lander_beauty_shot.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"493\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_IM-2_lander_beauty_shot.jpg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_IM-2_lander_beauty_shot-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_IM-2_lander_beauty_shot-678x381.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_IM-2_lander_beauty_shot-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68820\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Intuitive Machines\u2019 IM-2 Mission Nova-C lander, named Athena, shown in front of an American flag at the company\u2019s Houston facilities. Image: Intuitive Machines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>One side of the 4.73-meter-tall (15.3 ft) lander bears an American flag that was certified for flight on March 2, 1970, as part of the Apollo program, but never flew. Intuitive Machines said a tradition it\u2019s establishing with its Nova-C (and eventually Nova-D) landers is bringing Apollo-era flags to lunar surface.<\/p>\n<p>The lander was also signed by Apollo 16 astronaut Charlie Duke and Apollo 17 astronaut Harrison \u201cJack\u201d Schmidt.<\/p>\n<p>Athena is designed to operate throughout the lunar day, which will last about 10 days following the planned touchdown on March 6. During its time on the Moon\u2019s surface, the lander will attempt to image Earth eclipsing the Sun.<\/p>\n<p>Firefly Aerospace\u2019s Blue Ghost lunar lander will attempt the same feat, assuming it lands successfully as well. The phenomenon was first captured by the Surveyor 3 lander in 1967.<\/p>\n<h4>What\u2019s onboard Athena?<\/h4>\n<p>The Nova-C lander, Athena, has a suite of seven Public Affairs Office (PAO) optical cameras, which will serve as a method of sharing images of the mission with the public as well as capturing imagery of the various instruments and payloads onboard. Five of the cameras are placed on the lander and two on the Micro Nova Hopper, called Grace.<\/p>\n<p>As part of the CLPS program, Athena\u2019s main payloads from NASA are its Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment 1 (PRIME-1) and the Laser Retro-Reflector Array (LRA).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68821\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68821\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68821\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_TRIDENT_drill.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"584\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_TRIDENT_drill.jpg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_TRIDENT_drill-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_TRIDENT_drill-678x452.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_TRIDENT_drill-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68821\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">A team of engineers from NASA\u2019s Johnson Space Center in Houston and Honeybee Robotics in Altadena, California inspect TRIDENT \u2013 short for The Regolith Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain \u2013 shortly after its arrival at the integration and test facility. Image: NASA\/Robert Markowitz<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>PRIME-1 consists of two instruments: a meter-long drill called The Regolith Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrain (TRIDENT) and a mass spectrometer called the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations (MSolo). Together they will examine the lunar regolith for volatiles gases and evidence of ice water beneath the Moon\u2019s surface.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is a really important technology demonstration for NASA because it will provide important data to help us better understand the Moon\u2019s surface and help inform and minimize risk to future in-situ resource utilization missions,\u201d said Niki Werkheiser, Director of Technology Maturation in NASA\u2019s Space Technology Mission Directorate, during a prelaunch teleconference.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s important to not only NASA, but to the whole ecosystem that wants to explore and utilize resources on the Moon and we will be sharing data from that mission accordingly.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The lander is also carrying a number of other commercial payloads, including Lunar Outpost\u2019s Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover, Lonestar Data Holdings\u2019 Freedom Payload, Dymon Co. Ltd.\u2019s Yaoki rover and Nokia\u2019s Lunar Surface Communications System (LSCS).<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68822\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68822\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68822\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Nokia_4G-LTE_demo_rendering.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"493\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Nokia_4G-LTE_demo_rendering.jpeg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Nokia_4G-LTE_demo_rendering-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Nokia_4G-LTE_demo_rendering-678x381.jpeg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Nokia_4G-LTE_demo_rendering-768x432.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68822\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Artist rendering of the Lunar Outpost Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover with Nokia antennas extended. The images, data and telemetry collected by the MAPP rover will be sent back to Athena the Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander, over the Nokia 4G\/LTE network and then relayed to Earth. Mission controllers in Colorado will issue commands to the rover over the same connection. Image: Intuitive Machines and Nokia Bell Labs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The LSCS is backed in part by a $14.1 million NASA Tipping Point award issued in October 2020. It will demonstrate cellular connectivity between the lander and MAPP as well as the Micro Nova Hopper.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe goal there is to show that we can adapt commercial communications technology to support these deeps space exploration missions,\u201d Kugler said. \u201cSo, rather than reinvent the wheel, we can take advantage of the advances that companies, like Nokia, have made and bring that forward into the lunar exploration environment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAnd that\u2019s important because that also allows for increased connectivity with our overhead data relay network that we\u2019re building for NASA.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>New leaps in exploration<\/h4>\n<p>Intuitive Machines\u2019 Micro Nova Hopper \u201cGrace\u201d is named for Rear Adm. Grace Hopper, a computer pioneer and naval officer who designed one of the first compilers and coined the term as well. It stands about 38.4 in (~1 m) in height and is 17.3 in (0.4 m) in diameter.<\/p>\n<p>The Micro Nova Hopper is capable of carrying up to 10 kg (22 lbs) of science payloads onboard and can hop up to 25 km (15.5 mi) away from the initial lander\u2019s touchdown location.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe whole idea behind Hopper is that we can dramatically extend the reach of these exploratory missions, frankly far beyond what you can get with a small rover, which is ultimately limited in how far it can go on its available power and how many data points you can reach,\u201d Kugler said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHopper is a rocket-propelled drone with multiple kilometers of flight capacity. And so, with this Hopper, we want to show that we can land in a relatively safe, flat zone for initial operations and payload deployment and then launch Hopper to go into a more challenging region, like a permanently shadowed crater, collect data and then fly back out.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68823\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68823\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68823\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Micro_Nova_Hopper.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"493\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Micro_Nova_Hopper.jpeg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Micro_Nova_Hopper-300x169.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Micro_Nova_Hopper-678x381.jpeg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Micro_Nova_Hopper-768x432.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68823\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Intuitive Machines\u2019 Micro Nova is a miniature Nova-C lander designed to search for water ice in permanently shaded regions of the Moon. Affectionately known as \u201cThe Hopper,\u201d the spacecraft is designed to carry 10 kg of payloads up to 25 km from the IM-2 mission landing site. Intuitive Machines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The Hopper is funded and developed in part through a NASA Tipping Point award valued at about $41.6 million.<\/p>\n<p>Grace is expected to perform its first hop about 14 hours after Athena touches down on the Moon\u2019s surface. It aims to reach an altitude of about 20 meters (65.6 ft). About 62 hours post-landing there will be a second hop, but this time aiming for an altitude of about 50 meters (164 ft).<\/p>\n<p>86 hours after landing Grace will attempt its tallest hop, attempting to reach an altitude of 100 meters (328 ft). Its testing will culminate with its hop into a shadowed crater roughly 20 m (65.6 ft) in depth and then back out again.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe believe, based on our conversations with Nokia, that we might actually still have communication down in that 20-meter depth within that crater,\u201d said Trent Martin, Senior Vice President for Space Systems at Intuitive Machines during a prelaunch media teleconference.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf we do not, however, the vehicle will either go off on a timer, after 45 minutes it will hop back out on its own, or it will go off a temperature setting. So, if the temperatures reach a minimum, the Hopper will hop back out on its own.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68824\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68824\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68824\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Grace_Hopper_overview_graphic.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"353\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Grace_Hopper_overview_graphic.jpg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Grace_Hopper_overview_graphic-300x121.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Grace_Hopper_overview_graphic-678x273.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Grace_Hopper_overview_graphic-768x309.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68824\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">An overview of the mission for Grace, the Intuitive Machines Micro Nova Hopper. Graphic: Intuitive Machines<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Martin said they want to validate the durability of non-rover technology in extreme environments.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIf you\u2019re trying to do something where you can\u2019t get there with a rover, why not do it with a rocket-propelled Hopper?\u201d Martin said. \u201cAnd so, that\u2019s the intend of what we\u2019re doing with Gracie.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Micro Nova Hopper has a pair of science payloads onboard. One is the Lunar Radiometer (LRAD), an instrument from the Institute of Planetary Research at DLR, which will \u201cidentify locations cold enough to support stable water ice deposits\u201d and \u201ccharacterize lunar surface temperatures in permanently shadowed regions.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The other is the Puli Lunar Water Snooper (PLWS), which is a neutron spectrometer developed by Hungary-based Puli Space Technologies and backed by NASA. It\u2019s designed to \u201cconduct the first-ever direct surface measurements from a permanently shadowed crater, supporting critical in-situ resource utilization (ISRU) efforts for future lunar exploration.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>Along for the ride<\/h4>\n<p>In addition to the lander and all of its components, the IM-2 mission will also host three rideshare payloads that are flying their own independent missions.<\/p>\n<p>One of those is NASA\u2019s Lunar Trailblazer, which was selected as part of NASA\u2019s Small Innovative Missions for Planetary Exploration (SIMPLEx) program. Joel Kearns, the Deputy Associate Administrator Exploration within NASA\u2019s Science Mission Directorate, said the cost of launch through its operational life (ending in 2027) is about $89 million.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68825\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68825\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68825\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Lunar_Trailblazer_rendering.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"493\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Lunar_Trailblazer_rendering.jpg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Lunar_Trailblazer_rendering-300x169.jpg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Lunar_Trailblazer_rendering-678x381.jpg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Lunar_Trailblazer_rendering-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68825\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">This artist\u2019s concept depicts NASA\u2019s Lunar Trailblazer in lunar orbit about 60 miles (100 kilometers) from the surface of the Moon. The spacecraft weighs only 440 pounds (200 kilograms) and measures 11.5 feet (3.5 meters) wide when its solar panels are fully deployed. Graphic: Lockheed Martin Space<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The mission is managed by NASA\u2019s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in California with its science investigation being led by Caltech. Lunar Trailblazer will use its two main instruments, the High-resolution Volatiles and Minerals Moon Mapper (HVM3) and its Lunar Thermal Mapper (LTM) to locate where different forms of water exist on the lunar surface, \u201chow the thermal properties of the lunar surface affect their distribution, and how the different forms of water change over time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The second rideshare comes from asteroid mining company, AstroForge. Its Odin spacecraft is going to perform a flyby of asteroid 2022 OB5, which is believed to be an M-class asteroid.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI asked the team at AstroForge to work with incredible speed\u2014and that speed comes at a price. We are taking exceptional risks on this mission, more risks than most companies would be willing to accept,\u201d wrote AstroForge CEO Matt Gialich in a blog post on Monday. \u201cIf this mission fails, the fault lies with me alone. I was involved in the intimate details of every trade-off we made\u2014and we made a lot.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe core principle of iteration is the guiding light at AstroForge. We learn a lot from making it to a failure; we learn nothing by stagnation.\u201d<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_68826\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-68826\" style=\"width: 876px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-68826\" src=\"http:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Odin_testing_team.jpeg\" alt=\"\" width=\"876\" height=\"584\" srcset=\"https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Odin_testing_team.jpeg 876w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Odin_testing_team-300x200.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Odin_testing_team-678x452.jpeg 678w, https:\/\/spaceflightnow.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/20250225_Odin_testing_team-768x512.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 876px) 100vw, 876px\"><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-68826\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">From left, the Astroforge employees Ashton Meginnis, Wesley Tuneless and Ben Fields with the spacecraft, Odin, during final assembly testing. Image: AstroForge<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Finally, the IM-2 mission will carry Epic Aerospace\u2019s Chimera GEO 1 orbital transfer vehicle. Both Odin and Chimera will be deployed using Exolaunch\u2019s CarboNIX separation systems. Chimera will carrying \u201can additional payload,\u201d according to Exolaunch, which will be deployed using its EXOpod Nova deployer.<\/p>\n<p>That additional payload hasn\u2019t been identified yet.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A streak shot of SpaceX\u2019s Falcon 9 rocket as it launched the IM-2 mission for Intuitive Machines and sent its Nova-C lander, Athena, to a lunar transfer orbit. Image: Michael Cain\/Spaceflight Now Intuitive Machines is heading back to the Moon following its first trip a year ago. The company based in Houston, Texas, sent another [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[1182,1186,479,1109,503,1183,1184,1111],"class_list":["post-9909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-astroforge","tag-athena","tag-falcon-9","tag-im-2","tag-intuitive-machines","tag-jet-propulsion-laboratory","tag-lunar-trailblazer","tag-nova-c"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9909"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9909"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9909\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9909"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9909"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/starpath.global\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9909"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}