SpaceX to Launch Odysseus Moon Lander on Valentine’s Day

There will be some exciting spaceflight action on  Valentine’s Day, if all goes according to plan. SpaceX and Houston-based Intuitive  Machines are targeting Feb. 14 for the launch of the private IM-1 moon mission. IM-1 is scheduled to lift off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Cape Canaveral Space Force  Station on Feb. 14 at 12:57 a.m. EST (0557 GMT), sending Intuitive Machines’ robotic Nova-C lander  “Odysseus” toward Earth’s nearest neighbor. On Feb. 22, Odysseus will try to make history, becoming the first-ever private spacecraft  to land softly on the lunar surface. The 675-kilogram lander, called Odysseus  by the company, is carrying six payloads for NASA through a Commercial Lunar Payload  Services (CLPS) award valued at $118 million. It is also carrying six commercial  payloads, ranging from sportswear company Columbia to artist Jeff Koons. The  commercial payloads also include Eaglecam, a camera developed by students at Embry-Riddle  Aeronautical University that will eject from the lander during its final descent to the  surface to attempt to photograph the landing.