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// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did IM-3 say to IM-4? You're one up on me.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

IM-3
IM-1 Odysseus, a Nova-C lander similar to IM-3
NamesIM-3
CLPS CP-11
CP-11
Mission typeLunar landing
OperatorIntuitive Machines
Spacecraft properties
Spacecraft typeNova-C
ManufacturerIntuitive Machines
Start of mission
Launch dateNET Q1 2027 (2027) UTC
RocketFalcon 9 Block 5
Launch siteKennedy LC-39A
Lunar lander
Landing siteReiner Gamma

IM-3 mission insignia
Motto: MAGNETICAM LUNAM
(Magnetic Moon)

IM-3 is a robotic spaceflight mission planned by Intuitive Machines for launch in the second half of 2026 for NASA's CLPS program, using a Nova-C lunar lander. It will deliver payloads to the lunar swirl in the Reiner Gamma region.[1] Though the mission was initially slated to launch aboard a Falcon 9 in the second half of 2026, NASA announced in September that the mission had slipped to the "first part" of 2027.[2]

Background

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CADRE ATLO Team presents completed rovers

NASA selected a Nova-C mission for CLPS task order CP-11.[3] In August 2021, Intuitive Machines selected SpaceX to launch its third lunar mission, IM-3.[4] As of 7 January 2026, the launch of IM-3 is expected to take place in second half 2026.[5][6] The lander will conduct experiments investigating the properties of the unexpected magnetic field that has been detected in the vicinity of the Reiner Gamma swirl.[7]

Mission hardware

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The Reiner Gamma landing site was announced for the first PRISM opportunity and the JHU Applied Physics Laboratory's Lunar Vertex payload was selected to conduct a detailed scientific analysis of the surface and surface environment. David Blewett (APL) is the principal investigator and leads the science team. Lunar Vertex includes payload elements on the Nova-C lander (APL magnetometer, SwRI plasma spectrometer, and Redwire camera arrays) and on a Lunar Outpost rover (APL magnetometer and Canadensys microscopic imager). APL also provided overall management, systems engineer, SMA, and rover integration and testing.[8]

Additional payloads

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In addition to Lunar Vertex, IM-3 payloads include the Cooperative Autonomous Distributed Robotic Explorers (CADRE) rovers, ESA's MoonLIGHT Pointing Actuator (MPAc), KASI's Lunar Space Environment Monitor (LUSEM), and AstroForge's Vestri.[9] The MoonLIGHT MPAc hardware was qualified for flight and has been in storage since December 2023.[10] LUSEM was similarly qualified and delivered in 2023.[11]. Vestri is a launch ride-share payload that will not be directly integrated with the Trinity lander.[12] The CADRE rovers were delivered to Intuitive Machines in 2025.[13]

In December 2025, ASA funded organisation Lunaria One[14] was approved to add the Australian Lunar Experiment Promoting Horticulture (ALEPH-1) payload which will test plant growth and survival in the lunar environment. [15]

On August 4, 2026, NASA confirmed that IM-3 would launch with a total of 12 payloads. Of these, 5 are NASA payloads, 6 are commercial payloads, with one payload coming from the ISA.[16]

Lunar data network

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In 2024 the Intuitive Machines chief executive indicated that in addition to the lander, the IM-3 mission might deliver a data-relay satellite to lunar orbit.[17] NASA asserts, "Lunar relays will play an essential role in NASA’s Artemis campaign to establish a long-term presence on the Moon."[18] Additional reporting in 2025 indicated this work will be performed under a Near Space Network Services contract that NASA had previously awarded to Intuitive Machines.[19]

In a 2026 presentation researchers described plans to launch the Altus-1 / LDN-1 Lunar Data Network (LDN) satellite on IM-3.[20] The eventual LDN would consist of five lunar satellites to deliver Lunar Communications Relay and Navigation Systems (LCRNS) services for NASA. In August 2026 NASA delivered to IM a NavCube3-mini navigation receiver for use on Altus-1.[21]

Mission events

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Prior to launch

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As of January 2026, the mission is scheduled for launch in the second half of 2026.[6][5]

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ "NASA Selects Intuitive Machines to Deliver 4 Lunar Payloads in 2024". Intuitive Machines. November 17, 2021. Archived from the original on October 3, 2023. Retrieved November 17, 2021.
  2. ↑ Brinkman, Paul (September 15, 2026). "NASA expects one lunar launch this year, Moon Base manager says". Aerospace America. AIAA. Retrieved September 17, 2026.
  3. ↑ "NASA Payloads for (CLPS PRISM) CP-11 – Intuitive Machines Nova-C Lander". NASA. December 20, 2022. Archived from the original on February 27, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
  4. ↑ "Three-peat: Intuitive Machines Selects SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket for Third Moon Mission". Intuitive Machines. August 10, 2021. Archived from the original on February 12, 2022. Retrieved August 10, 2021.
  5. 1 2 Clark, Stephen (January 7, 2026). "Here are the launches and landings we're most excited about in 2026". Ars Technica.
  6. 1 2 "Investor Update". August 2025. Retrieved September 28, 2025.
  7. ↑ NASA Selects Intuitive Machines for New Lunar Science Delivery Archived 17 November 2023 at the Wayback Machine By Karen Fox et al. Nov.17, 2021. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Lunar Vertex: Solving Mysteries Swirling Around the Moon's Magnetic Regions | Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory". www.jhuapl.edu. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  9. ↑ Kajal, Kapil. "AstroForge plans first private mission to mine near-Earth asteroid". Interesting Engineering. Retrieved September 19, 2025.
  10. ↑ Muccino, Marco; Montanari, Michele; Lauretani, Rudi; Castro, Alejandro Remujo; Rubino, Laura; Denni, Ubaldo; Rodriquez, Raffaele; Salvatori, Lorenzo; Tibuzzi, Mattia; Filomena, Luciana; Mauro, Lorenza; Currie, Douglas; Bargiacchi, Giada; Battista, Emmanuele; Capozziello, Salvatore; Maiello, Mauro; Porcelli, Luca; Monache, Giovanni Delle; Dell’Agnello, Simone (February 26, 2025). "MoonLIGHT and MPAc: The European Space Agency's Next-Generation Lunar Laser Retroreflector for NASA's CLPS/PRISM1A (CP-11) Mission". Remote Sensing. 17 (5). doi:10.3390/r (inactive August 10, 2026).{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: DOI inactive as of August 2026 (link)
  11. ↑ Thompson, David (April 7, 2025). "Kyung Hee University Develops South Korea's First Lunar Lander Science Instrument". University Herald.
  12. ↑ "Spacecraft Structures - AstroForge". www.astroforge.com. August 19, 2025.
  13. ↑ "NASA's Mini Rover Team is Packed for Lunar Journey". Jet Propulsion Laboratory.
  14. ↑ "Lunaria One receives Australian approval for overseas launch of lunar payload". Lunaria One. December 19, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  15. ↑ "First permit granted for an Aussie lunar payload". ASA. December 12, 2025. Retrieved January 17, 2026.
  16. ↑ "NASA Provides Updates on Moon Base Cargo Landers, Tech Demonstrations". NASA. August 4, 2026. Retrieved August 4, 2026.
  17. ↑ Berger, Eric (September 20, 2024). "One company appears to be thriving as part of NASA's return to the Moon". Ars Technica.
  18. ↑ "NASA Selects Lunar Relay Contractor for Near Space Network Services - NASA".
  19. ↑ "Intuitive Machines' CEO points to issues that prevented upright touchdown during IM-2 Moon landing – Spaceflight Now".
  20. ↑ https://www.ion.org/gnss/abstracts.cfm?paperID=17184
  21. ↑ "NASA Delivers Navigation System for Commercial Lunar Relay - NASA". August 3, 2026.
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