SpaceX targeting 14th of February 💕 for IM-1 Mission

When is it happening?

Valentine's Day, actually! More specifically, SpaceX is targeting to liftoff from Launch Pad 39A at Kennedy Space Center from 12:57 a.m. EST on February 14th. In case weather conditions or other unforeseen developments forbid a launch on February 14th, SpaceX was allowed a three-day window to execute the launch, starting on Wednesday.

You can watch the launch live from their X (previously Twitter) broadcast here.

What about the payload?

IM-1 will send Odysseus, the Nova-C lander, to the moon for a 16-day mission. It is going to be the first-ever private landing on the moon, marking a milestone in private spaceflight and it's (hopefully) bright future, in case of success.

The 16-day mission is scheduled to consist of 9 days travelling to the moon, followed by a week (7 days) long stay on the lunar surface. The landing is supposed to take place near the lunar south pole, a spot on the moon that we don't know alot about, making this mission and gained insights even more valuable for human spaceflight as a whole.