Insider Brief
- SpaceX marked back-to-back launches this week.
- The launches include a secret satellite deployment mission for the U.S. and a mission to send a lunar lander developed by Houston-based Intuitive Machines towards the moon.
- SpaceX also moved its incorporation from Delaware to Texas.
SpaceX has marked a busy week with back-to-back launches, an achievement in the current era of space exploration.
On Wednesday, February 14, at 5:30 p.m. ET, the aerospace company’s workhorse, the Falcon 9 rocket, embarked on the USSF-124 mission from Space Launch Complex 40 (SLC-40) at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida.
The SpaceX team reports that the mission was noteworthy because it used a veteran first stage booster on its 18th flight, which had previously supported an array of critical payloads, including GPS III-3, Turksat 5A, Transporter-2, Intelsat G-33/G-34, Transporter-6 and 12 Starlink missions.
While details surrounding the USSF-124 mission remain scarce, it was disclosed that the launch would deploy six satellites into low-Earth orbit, comprising two for the Missile Defense Agency and four for the Space Development Agency, although their specific functions and orbital duties were not elaborated.
Following closely on the heels of the USSF-124 mission, SpaceX executed the Intuitive Machines IM-1 mission to lunar transfer orbit.
This launch took place in the early hours of Thursday, February 15, at 1:05 a.m. ET, from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission’s Falcon 9 rocket, making its seventh flight, previously supported the Crew-6 mission, SES O3b mPOWER, and four Starlink missions. This particular launch was historic, propelling a lunar lander developed by Houston-based Intuitive Machines towards the moon. Dubbed Odysseus, the lander’s successful touchdown would not only mark the first private spacecraft to land on the moon but also signify the United States’ first lunar surface mission since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Despite an initial delay due to an issue with the lander’s methane fuel, the launch proceeded successfully. The Odysseus lander, a hexagonal cylinder measuring 4.0 meters in height and 1.57 meters in width, and weighing 1908 kg (4,206 pounds), is on a trajectory to reach lunar orbit within six days, with a targeted landing on the moon’s south pole scheduled for February 22.
SpaceX Moves to Texas
In other news, SpaceX, led by CEO Elon Musk, has officially relocated its state of incorporation from Delaware to Texas, Musk announced on X (formerly known as Twitter), Reuters reported.
This move aligns with Musk’s broader shift towards Texas, which followed Musk’s decision to relocate Tesla’s state of incorporation after a Delaware judge invalidated Musk’s $56-billion pay package.
Musk went a little beyond the move — he recommended others move, according to the news service.
“SpaceX has moved its state of incorporation from Delaware to Texas! If your company is still incorporated in Delaware, I recommend moving to another state as soon as possible,” Musk said on Twitter.
For more market insights, check out our latest space industry news here.
Share this article:
