IM-1 lunar lander touchdown set for Thursday. Track it live!

Watch the IM-1 lunar lander touchdown on Thursday in the livestream above.

Odie’s epic journey going smoothly

So far, everything is going as planned with the IM-1 mission to the moon. According to the Intuitive Machines X account, the lunar lander Odysseus – Odie to his friends – is scheduled to arrive at the moon at 4:30 p.m. CST (22:30 UTC) on Thursday, February 22, 2024.

At present, Odie is gliding across space between Earth and its target. Unlike its namesake’s journey home from the Trojan War, the IM-1 mission progress has been smooth sailing.

The dedicated spaceflight watchers at The Launch Pad Network are providing live tracking of the IM-1 mission as it approaches the moon. You can watch it via YouTube or at the player embedded above.

Here’s the timeline that Intuitive Machines shared on X on Wednesday:

Flight controllers analyzed the post-Lunar Orbit Insertion engine burn data and updated the anticipated flight maneuver timing, including an expected 1630 CST landing opportunity on Thursday. The landing opportunity will be Odysseus’ hardest challenge yet. The lander continues to… pic.twitter.com/T6ULovaOPf

— Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) February 21, 2024

On February 21, Intuitive Machines shared this image on X, showing that the moon is looming large in Odie’s sight!

Odysseus passes over the near side of the Moon following lunar orbit insertion on 21FEB2024. The lander continues to be in excellent health in lunar orbit.
(21FEB2024 1608 CST) pic.twitter.com/UX4kgkv5EW

— Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) February 21, 2024

EarthSky lunar calendars are back in stock! And we’re guaranteed to sell out, so get one while you can. Your support means the world to us and allows us to keep going. Purchase here.

First views from IM-1 on the way to the moon

Intuitive Machines successfully transmitted its first IM-1 mission images to Earth on February 16, 2024. The images were captured shortly after separation from @SpaceX's second stage on Intuitive Machines’ first journey to the Moon under @NASA's CLPS initiative. pic.twitter.com/9LccL6q5tF

— Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) February 17, 2024

IM-1 took its first images, a look back at Earth, on February 16, 2024. Intuitive Machines shared these images on X/Twitter on February 17. You can follow along with their updates here or on X.

The IM-1 mission to land on the Moon has triumphed over numerous challenges, showcasing exceptional resilience, innovation, and teamwork.

Intuitive Machines expects to land on the Moon at 1649 CST on Thursday, February 22nd. pic.twitter.com/gKbek2222S

— Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) February 20, 2024

IM-1 lunar lander launched February 15

The Intuitive Machines IM-1 lunar lander rode a SpaceX Falcon 9 out of Kennedy Space Center on February 15. It lifted off at 1:05 a.m. Eastern Time from historic launchpad 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Notably, the early morning launch was a return to lunar service for KSC’s Launch Complex 39A, which hosted all but one of the crewed Apollo missions to the moon.

And, if it has the right stuff, then the IM-1 lander – nicknamed Odie – could be the first American spacecraft to make a soft landing on the moon’s surface since the final Apollo mission touched down in 1972.

The craft is set for a lunar landing on February 22.

Have spacecraft, will travel

While IM-1 will deliver a handful of NASA science payloads, it will be carrying commercial cargo, too. Intuitive Machines says this mission will be the first of many private payloads it will carry to Earth’s natural satellite:

IM-1 is a trailblazing mission aimed at creating a commercial lunar economy, delivering commercial payloads and NASA science and technology payloads that will pave the way for a sustainable human presence on and around the moon.

The Odysseus lander (or Odie) is a hexagonal cylinder about 13 feet (four meters) tall and five feet (1.5 meters) wide. The 4,200-pound (1,900-kg) vehicle can carry up to 220 pounds (100 kg) of cargo with it to the moon.

Heading for the moon’s South Pole

The lander is heading for the lunar South Pole:

The lander will land on the moon at Malapert, a crater near the South Pole. The landing will take place on February 22. The lander is capable of operating for about 14 Earth days in sunlight.

IM’s contract with NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) includes three missions total. This mission comes just one month after another private company – Astrobotic – attempted to land on the moon. That mission, Peregrine, developed a fuel leak soon after liftoff and eventually crashed back to Earth. Also, Japan’s space agency landed a mission on the moon last month as well, named SLIM, but it landed upside down.

Bottom line: The Intuitive Machines IM-1 lunar lander – nicknamed Odie – will land on the moon at 4:30 p.m. CST (22:30 UTC) on Thursday, February 22, 2024.

Via Intuitive Machines

Via NASA