The new ship is called Nova-C and was developed by Intuitive Machines. The launch is scheduled to take place at 6:57 a.m. Dutch time on Wednesday. If it is not possible to take off, the next option is Thursday at 7:05 AM Dutch time.
The destination is a crater in the moon's south pole. Nova-C is supposed to land there next week. Then he has about a week to do research before the sun sets and the ship runs out of power.
When astronauts set foot on the moon again in the coming years, the crater in the image will serve as their arrival point. The last time people walked on the moon was in 1972.
Nova-C is more than 4 meters high and weighs about 675 kilograms. He must, among other things, conduct research on the effect of charged particles from the Sun on the surface of the Moon. When people go to the Moon again in the coming years, they will be completely exposed to those particles, with no protection from the magnetic field as they do on Earth. The United States also wants to try more precise landings.
Also on board is a statue by Jeff Koons. If the mission succeeds, it will be the first work of art on the moon since 1971.
The United States hopes that space companies can help build bases on the moon. NASA has created an entire program for this purpose, Commercial Lunar Payload Services. Companies can receive millions of dollars to develop and build lunar hardware.
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