DEPLOYDatabase

Deployment

Nova-C Lander at The Moon

Commercial lunar lander using terrain-relative navigation cameras, a laser range finder and NASA's Navigation Doppler Lidar for autonomous hazard-relative descent.

Nova-C Lander by Intuitive Machines · Catalog entry · 4 sources · not yet field-verified

Track Nova-C Lander at The Moon

Recent coverage

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Machine-readable surfaces

Footage

PRIMARY SOURCE
Courtesy of Intuitive Machines

Intuitive Machines' live broadcast of its IM-1 'Odysseus' Nova-C lunar landing (February 2024). It was the first commercial Moon landing, but Odysseus came down faster than planned and tipped onto its side, a partial success; the follow-on IM-2 'Athena' also tipped.

Launched 2025-02-26 (Falcon 9). Landed 2025-03-06 near Mons Mouton, lunar South Pole — southernmost landing ever. Tipped over onto side inside shadowed crater ~250 m from target. Laser altimeter signal noise/distortion during final descent; low sun angles at south pole confused optical navigation. Surface mission lasted <13 hours (planned ~10 days). Solar panels not sun-oriented; batteries depleted in extreme cold. 250 MB data collected for NASA. PRIME-1 suite demonstrated range of motion; TRIDENT drill could not penetrate surface. MAPP rover powered on but could not deploy.

Key facts

Mission
IM-2 (Athena)
Outcome
Landed near the lunar south pole 2025-03-06; altimeter failed during descent, struck a plateau and TIPPED into a crater on its side; solar orientation drained the battery; declared dead, mission ended early (failed)
Start
Launched 2025-02-26 on Falcon 9
Route
Landed near Mons Mouton, lunar South Pole — southernmost landing ever
Technology
Laser altimeter signal noise/distortion during final descent; low sun angles at south pole confused optical navigation
Hours
Surface mission lasted <13 hours (planned ~10 days)
Status
Solar panels not sun-oriented; batteries depleted in extreme cold
Throughput
250 MB data collected for NASA
Use Case
PRIME-1 suite demonstrated range of motion; TRIDENT drill could not penetrate surface
Fleet
MAPP rover powered on but could not deploy

Safety record

No incidents on record for Nova-C Lander at The Moon.

Only active incidents are counted. Retracted incidents are excluded from this summary but remain reachable at their canonical URLs.

Trust tier
Catalog entry · 4 sources · not yet field-verifiedhow tiers work →
Last updated
2026-07-10
Model
Nova-C Lander
Company
Intuitive Machines
Location
The Moon
Status
ended
Operator type
maker operated
First seen
2025-03-06
ID
334918a0-261e-4b1b-a5ff-1e244a1f497a

Timeline

  1. Mar 2025
    First recorded
    Nova-C Lander first documented operating at The Moon.
  2. Mar 2025
    created
  3. Jun 2026
    field updated
    sources: source added → Spaceflight Now: Intuitive Machines' IM-2 mission ends with lander on its side on the moon
  4. Jun 2026
    field updated
    sources: source added → SpaceNews: Altimeter problems, lighting challenges caused IM-2 lunar lander to fall on its side
  5. Jul 2026
    Current status: ended, reviewed
    Latest recorded state. New status transitions append here as the deployment-status recorder produces them.

On the deployment map

Nova-C Lander operates in The Moon. Explore the full verified map:

Sources (4)

  1. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/athena-lunar-lander-declared-dead-on-the-moon/
  2. https://www.intuitivemachines.com/im-2
  3. https://spaceflightnow.com/2025/03/07/intuitive-machines-im-2-mission-ends-with-lander-on-its-side-on-the-moon/
  4. https://spacenews.com/altimeter-problems-lighting-challenges-caused-im-2-lunar-lander-to-fall-on-its-side/
Methodology: Verified · 4 sources (no primary) · last reviewed 2026-07-10

Verification posture

Verified

Low confidence

Review state

Stable

Last reviewed 2026-07-10

Maturity + lifecycle

Maturity stage: commercial

Lifecycle: active

Architectural position

Cohort: space

Sources by quality tier

4
unclassified
Unclassified source

The framework is documented at /methodology. Corrections at /corrections. Reviewer: DEPLOY editorial team.

Methodology surface for Nova-C Lander at The Moon.

Common questions

What is the Nova-C Lander deployment at The Moon?
Nova-C Lander, built by Intuitive Machines, is recorded as a deployment at The Moon on the DEPLOY registry. Intuitive Machines operates the deployment directly.
Who operates Nova-C Lander at The Moon?
Intuitive Machines, the manufacturer of Nova-C Lander, operates this deployment directly. This is a maker-deploys-its-own-product arrangement rather than a customer pilot.
When did the Nova-C Lander deployment at The Moon go live?
The deployment is recorded as starting March 6, 2025 on the DEPLOY registry. Earlier activity may exist but is not yet sourced.
Is the Nova-C Lander deployment at The Moon still active?
As of the most recent verification on the DEPLOY registry, this deployment is no longer operating at this location.
Have there been incidents at the Nova-C Lander deployment at The Moon?
No active incidents affecting this deployment are recorded on the DEPLOY registry. Absence of recorded incidents is not a guarantee no incident occurred; DEPLOY records only sourced incidents and suppresses retracted ones.

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