Private US Moon Lander Launch Delayed Due to Technical Glitch in Florida, Reports Reuters

By Joe Skipper and Steve Gorman

CAPE CANAVERAL, Florida – The launch of a robotic moon lander developed by Intuitive Machines, a Houston-based aerospace company, was postponed less than two hours before its scheduled liftoff on Wednesday. According to launch contractor SpaceX, the liftoff has been delayed for at least one day.

SpaceX, founded by billionaire Elon Musk, announced on the social media platform X that the launch team decided to "stand down from tonight’s attempt" due to irregular methane temperatures detected prior to loading. The specific role of the methane and its effects on the Falcon 9 rocket’s performance were not immediately provided. It’s worth noting that the rocket’s Merlin engines operate using kerosene and liquid oxygen.

The announcement to scrap the Intuitive Machines flight came approximately 75 minutes before the planned launch time of 12:57 a.m. EST from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. SpaceX has shifted its focus to a new launch opportunity set for 1:05 a.m. EST on Thursday.

The Nova-C lander, named Odysseus, is currently secured atop the Falcon 9 rocket. This mission aims to achieve the first U.S. lunar landing since the Apollo missions, marking the initial lunar touchdown attempted by a privately-owned spacecraft. Additionally, this mission aligns with NASA’s Artemis program, which is geared towards returning astronauts to the Moon before other nations complete similar missions.

This launch comes on the heels of complications faced by another private company, Astrobotic Technology, whose lunar lander experienced a propulsion system leak shortly after its debut flight on January 8. The failure of Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander, which was also part of a NASA mission, highlighted the challenges faced by private companies in successfully achieving a "soft landing" on the lunar surface. Previous attempts by other private firms from Israel and Japan also ended in failure.

These incidents underscore the risks associated with NASA’s increasing reliance on the commercial sector to fulfill its space exploration objectives.

The upcoming IM-1 flight is primarily an Intuitive Machines mission, but it will carry six NASA payloads containing instruments designed to collect data about the lunar environment in preparation for future Artemis missions. If the Odysseus lander successfully launches this week, it is scheduled to reach its destination at Malapert A crater near the Moon’s south pole on February 22.