--- title: "SpaceX Secures NASA Contract to Launch Lunar Lander" description: "SpaceX just won two contracts to launch both a commercial lunar lander, a mission backed by NASA, as well as a satellite meant to monitor methane emissions." date: "2021-01-14" modified: "2021-01-14" authors: - name: "Victor Tangermann" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/victor" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/space-nasa-lunar-lander" categories: - "NASA" - "Space" - "SpaceX" tags: - "falcon 9" - "lunar lander" - "SpaceX" - "the digest" --- # SpaceX Secures NASA Contract to Launch Lunar Lander ![SpaceX just won two contracts to launch both a commercial lunar lander, a mission backed by NASA, as well as a satellite meant to monitor methane emissions.]() *\Image: Intuitive Machines\* ## Falcon to the Moon SpaceX just won a contract to launch a commercial lunar lander backed by NASA, [*SpaceNews* reports](). The lander is being built by autonomous drone systems company Intuitive Machines as part of its IM-2 lunar lander mission. If all goes according to schedule, SpaceX will launch the lander on a Falcon 9 rocket within the next two years. "Signing with SpaceX for our IM-2 Polar Mission, our second scheduled lunar landing, is more than affordable quality lunar transport," IM president and CEO, Steve Altemus said in a [press release](). ## Lunar Drill IM-2 will land in the Moon's southern polar region with several payloads on board, organized through NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. "Our Lunar Payload and Data Service program matures with each awarded mission to the Moon," Altemus said. "That maturity is essential for creating a reliable and repeatable lunar landing service that brings us closer to sustained lunar exploration and development." Included among the payload carried by IM-2 is a drill that will probe the lunar surface for signs of water. **READ MORE:** [SpaceX wins contracts for lunar lander, environmental satellite launches]() \[*SpaceNews*\] **More on lunar landers:** *[Chinese Lander Dies on Lunar Surface]()* ## Author I've been at Futurism since 2017, where my role has evolved to encompass design, writing, and increasingly editing. I've always been fascinated by space exploration and advanced transportation, which I've leaned into by interviewing luminaries in those fields while closely following the dimensions of policy and regulation that allow next-generation projects to succeed -- or, sometimes, to fail. I'm also keenly interested in the effects of generative AI on society, policies, and democratic institutions, as well as clean energy, physics and biology, and the vagaries of tech leadership. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Ars Technica, Gizmodo, PC Magazine, Jalopnik, Fox News, and the New York Post. I spent my childhood living in locations including Manila, the Philippines, and Geneva, Switzerland, attended McGill University, and now live in Toronto, Canada. Before Futurism I worked at AskMen and a small photography studio. In my free time, I'm an avid gardener, foodie, and craft beer lover, as well as a maker of artisanal hot pepper sauces. I have a magnificent dog named Freida. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()