BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — The Space Coast is gearing up for a double feature Wednesday, with two rockets scheduled to light up the night sky.
The first is set to lift off from Kennedy Space Center at 7:02 p.m.
Intuitive Machines’ “IM-2 mission” will involve an uncrewed Moon expedition and would mark the second time in as many months that a U.S. lunar lander has launched from Brevard County.
On Jan. 15, SpaceX helped launch a pair of landers from KSC.
PREVIOUS: SpaceX launches 2 lunar landers from Florida’s Space Coast
“Athena” is the lander that will be aboard a Falcon 9 rocket during the Feb. 26 launch.
The mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and is related to NASA’s bigger-picture Artemis program.
The aerospace company said of its IM-2 mission, “The science and technology payloads sent to the Moon’s surface as part of CLPS intend to lay the foundation for future human missions and a long-term human presence on the lunar surface.”
Athena completed all integration milestones and is safely encapsulated within @SpaceX's payload fairing in preparation for launch. https://t.co/AN0miKEG4Q#AdLunam #IM2 #Athena pic.twitter.com/IyDv0t0KEM
— Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) February 20, 2025
One key objective of the mission will be the deployment of NASA’s TRIDENT.
It could lead to the first robotic drilling activity conducted on the Moon’s South Pole region and help lay groundwork for future exploration.
If all goes as planned, Athena could touch down on the Moon around March 6th.
Back on Earth, SpaceX is planning a second nighttime launch on Wednesday.
The company will send a Falcon 9 rocket carrying a batch of Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit.
SpaceX delayed the mission on both Monday and Tuesday.
The company has rescheduled the launch from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station for Wednesday at 10:34 p.m.
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