Hi friends, it’s your Space Coast correspondent James Sparvero and just a month after the disappointment of Astrobotic failing to reach the lunar surface, another aerospace company has a chance to land the first private American spacecraft on the moon (the first of any American spacecraft on the moon since Apollo 17).
At 11 this morning, NASA scientists on a call with reporters will tell us how the Nova-C lander from Intuitive Machines will precede the science and exploration astronauts on the moon will undertake during future Artemis missions (the doomed Peregrine lander from Astrobotic had the same big goals).
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This afternoon, I’ll have the chance to interview Stephen Altemus, the CEO of Intuitive Machines, on the excitement and the pressure.
One of the lander’s science experiments that will help NASA prepare for keeping a human presence on the moon will include learning how weather in space interacts with the lunar surface.
While Peregrine’s launch was on the maiden flight of the United Launch Alliance Vulcan Centaur, the Nova-C lander is flying on the rocket we usually watch, SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
The launch is currently scheduled for Wednesday (Valentine’s Day) at 12:57 a.m. at Pad 39a. NASA says Nova-C is expected to land on the moon eight days later on Thursday, the 22nd.
Pending where else the news cycle may take me today in Brevard, watch for my report starting at 4 p.m.. Thanks, friends!
📧 Have any topics you’d like to discuss? Send me an email here.
👋 Here’s a little bit more about me.
Little did I know when watching Apollo 13 in the third grade that 20 years later, I was destined for a thrilling career as your Space Coast multimedia journalist.
Chemistry and biology weren’t so interesting to me in high school science, but I loved my Earth and Space class (Thanks, Mr. Lang).
Then in 2016, I traded Capitol correspondent in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for space correspondent. I’m proud that my first live report at News 6 happened to be the first time SpaceX landed a Falcon 9 booster on a barge. What seems so routine now was a really big deal that day in our newsroom!
From there, I’ve covered the Commercial Crew program and the return of human spaceflight to Kennedy Space Center (Demo-2 launched on my 33rd birthday!)
Now, as our coverage looks forward to missions to the moon and Mars, I often tell others I have the best job in local news. Because after all I’ve seen so far, I think I would be bored working somewhere else. I even bought a house near the Cape with a great view to the north so I never miss a launch even when I’m not working.
After seven years on the beat, though, I still consider myself a young space reporter and I always look forward to learning something new with every assignment.
Have a great launch into the rest of your week!