Watch the live launch of a mission that could be the beginning of a new era of astronomy on the Moon.
A new mission to put a radio telescope and science instruments on the Moon is set to launch in the early hours of 14 February, and will be available to view live online via NASA TV.
US space company Intuitive Machines is launching one of its Nova-C lunar landers no earlier than 00:57 EST (05:57 UTC) on Wednesday 14 February 2024.
Watch live
Odysseus IM-1 mission
The lander, named Odysseus as part of the IM-1 mission, is being launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
The Odysseus lander is a hexagonal spacecraft just 4 metres tall about 1.5 metres wide, with 6 legs and the ability to carry 100kg of payload to the surface of the Moon.
It is expected to land on the Moon on 22 February and carries NASA science and technology instruments, which include the ability to carry out radio astronomy from the lunar surface.
It will also focus on plume interactions on the lunar surface and how space weather interacts with Moon dust.
The launch and landing is also seen as a test of lunar landing capabilities as NASA seeks to return humans and more uncrewed landers to the Moon throughout the Artemis programme.
The ROLSES (Radio-wave Observatory at the Lunar Surface of the Electron Sheath) instrument will be stationed on the near side of the Moon (the side of the Moon that always faces Earth).
While it will be able to carry out radio astronomy, it is also seen as a pathfinder experiment for future missions to put telescopes and observatories on the far side of the Moon, away from radio interference and affording an unobstructed view of the cosmos.
Find out more about the ROLSES telescope on the Moon.
Watch the Odysseus lunar lander launch
You can watch the Intuitive Missions’ Odysseus lander launch on its way to the Moon via NASA TV.
Coverage starts on 14 February 2024 at 00:15 EST (05:15 UTC), with launch expected no earlier than 00:57.
Watch the launch via the livestream at the top of this page, or visit NASA TV.