Flight controllers at Firefly Aerospace’s Mission Operations Center in north Austin, Texas, have sent a command to Blue Ghost to initiate descent orbit insertion, which is set to begin at 2:30 a.m. EST, Sunday. The command was sent around nine hours ahead of time since the burn is performed on the far side of the...
After a successful launch on Feb. 26, 2025, Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission is headed to the Mons Mouton region near the Moon’s South Pole the Moon. The lander is carrying NASA science instruments and technology demonstrations, as part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign. All NASA instruments on board are currently...
At approximately 8:01 p.m. EST, Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander separated from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, powered on approximately 12 minutes later, and will continue its weeklong journey to the Moon. Aboard the lander is NASA science and technology as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign. Also launching as...
At 7:16 p.m. EST, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander named Athena from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Aboard the mission are a suite of NASA technology and science instruments along with commercial payloads on their way to the Moon as part of the agency’s...
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket stands ready for a 7:16 p.m. EST liftoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Watch now on NASA+ or the agency’s website. Aboard Falcon 9 is Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander named Athena, which is carrying NASA science and technology instruments to the Moon as part of...
NASA science and technology is set to fly aboard Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander as part of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and Artemis campaign. SpaceX is targeting no earlier than 7:16 p.m. EST tonight to launch the IM-2 mission from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Weather...
Technicians have moved NASA’s Artemis II Orion spacecraft out of its assembly stand in preparation for the upcoming installation of its four solar array wings and spacecraft adapter jettison fairings that encapsulate its service module. The move positions NASA another step closer to the first crewed flight test under Artemis. Operators used a 30-ton crane...
Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 is nearly one week away from its Moon landing on Sunday, March 2, after launching on Jan.15. In preparation for landing, Blue Ghost will complete its final lunar orbit maneuver scheduled for Monday, Feb. 24. This maneuver will insert Blue Ghost into a near-circular low lunar orbit, bringing the lander …
Engineers at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida completed stacking the twin SLS (Space Launch System) solid rocket boosters inside the Vehicle Assembly Building for the agency’s Artemis II crewed test flight around the Moon. At launch and during liftoff, the boosters, which each stand 177 feet tall, will provide the majority of the 8.8...
After about a month in transit to the Moon, Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander successfully completed a four-minute lunar orbit insertion burn Thursday – the longest and most challenging burn conducted to date by the lander’s main engine and reaction control system thrusters. Now that the lander is in lunar trajectory, over the next 16 …
