Intuitive Machines Nova-C

The Intuitive Machines Nova-C, or simply Nova-C, is a class of <a href="/facts/Lunar_lander/M6UsNnXY">lunar landers</a> designed by <a href="/facts/Intuitive_Machines/ysW1abte">Intuitive Machines</a> (IM) to deliver small <a href="/facts/Payloads/wb7m7LLV">payloads</a> to the surface of the <a href="/facts/Moon/zKHqEMPb">Moon</a>. Intuitive Machines was one of three service providers awarded task orders in 2019 for delivery of <a href="/facts/NASA/TIMCV0yV">NASA</a> science payloads to the Moon. 
The <a href="/facts/IM-1/cyztfY5a">IM-1</a> lunar lander, named Odysseus (pronounced /əˈdɪsiəs/ ə-DISS-ee-əs), was launched by a <a href="/facts/SpaceX/2tKHsVdJ">SpaceX</a> <a href="/facts/Falcon_9_Block_5/0QqsLwWb">Falcon 9</a> rocket on 15 February 2024, reached lunar orbit on 21 February, and landed on the lunar surface on 22 February. This marked the inaugural Nova-C landing on the Moon and the first American spacecraft to perform a <a href="/facts/Soft_landing/lBkoWQfb">soft landing</a> on the Moon in over 50 years. It is the first spacecraft to use <a href="/facts/Methalox/s0KadvqW">methalox</a> propulsion to navigate between the Earth and the Moon.
The second Nova-C lander with the <a href="/facts/IM-2/FTCUHqrk">IM-2</a> Athena mission with Micro-Nova Gracie and other rovers and payloads was launched on 27 February 2025, and a third Nova-C lander on the IM-3 mission is scheduled for no earlier than October 2025. SpaceX is under contract to provide <a href="/facts/Falcon_9/mNck6vby">Falcon 9</a> launches for each of the three landers.

Intuitive Machines Nova-C open-in-new

Intuitive Machines Nova-C