SpaceX will launch a probe to the moon's south pole on Wednesday

The company's rocket will carry a probe from Intuitive Machines; Landing is scheduled for February 22

SpaceX, the space company owned by entrepreneur Elon Musk, will launch the Intuitive Machines probe to the lunar south pole on Wednesday (February 14, 2024), and if successful, the mission will be the first to transport a probe from a private company to the moon. region.

Falcon 9 rocket launch It's specific to 2:57 a.m. (Brasilia time) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The company expects the probe to land on the moon on February 22. If weather conditions do not permit the mission, a new attempt will be made on Thursday (February 15) at 3:05 a.m. He watches.

Detection/SpaceX

Intuitive Machines: IM-1 mission timeline

Space agencies target the south pole of the moon because of the presence of frozen water on the surface. The only successful landing in the region was from India, with the Chandrayaan-3 mission, carried out by the Indian Space Research Organisation.

Companies from Japan, Israel and the United States have already tried to reach the South Pole, but failed. The US Astrobotic mission, which launched on January 8, suffered a fuel leak. The probe was destroyed upon re-entering the atmosphere.

The United States is trying to return to the moon after more than 51 years. The last mission was Apollo 17 in December 1972. It was also the last time humans set foot on a natural satellite.

Both SpaceX and Intuitive Machines receive incentives from NASA to conduct space missions. The value of the government contract with the probe manufacturer is 118 million US dollars.