The initial commercial spacecraft designed to land on the moon are scheduled to begin operations this year, and another mission has now secured its launch: Intuitive Machines is preparing to send its second lunar lander utilizing a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, with an anticipated launch window opening no sooner than 2022. Intuitive Machines previously reserved a launch for its initial lander through SpaceX, which is also facilitating missions for other private organizations aiming to achieve a lunar landing as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.

Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander is capable of transporting as much as 100 kilograms (approximately 222 pounds) of equipment to the lunar surface, and possesses the ability to relay data back to Earth, transmitting the findings from its operations. The lander features both internal and external mounting options, and will deliver scientific instruments for a diverse range of clients to the moon’s surface through NASA’s collaborative commercial program, contributing to the preparation for upcoming NASA endeavors, including the planned Artemis program with its crewed lunar missions.

The inaugural mission by Intuitive Machines to the moon, also employing a Nova-C lander, is currently slated for the final three months of 2021, according to the present schedule. This mission will incorporate a lunar photography system, intended to “obtain initial images of the center of the Milky Way Galaxy from the lunar surface,” while the subsequent mission will involve the delivery of a drill for extracting polar resources and a mass spectrometer to the moon’s south polar region for NASA, alongside additional payloads.