Image: Intuitive Machines
IM-3 (Trinity)
Mission Profile
| Launch date | TBD ~H2 2026 |
|---|---|
| Launch vehicle | Falcon 9 |
| Spacecraft | Nova-C lander 'Trinity' |
| Target | Moon |
| Type | Robotic |
| Cost | ~$77.5M NASA CLPS task order (CP-11) |
| Duration | ~1 week transit + ~1 lunar day surface operations (planned) |
| Partners | Intuitive Machines, NASA CLPS, Johns Hopkins APL, NASA JPL, ESA, KASI, SpaceX (launch) |
| Instruments | Lunar Vertex (JHU APL magnetometer + plasma spectrometer + rover), CADRE cooperative rovers (JPL), MoonLIGHT Pointing Actuator (ESA), LUSEM (KASI) |
Overview
IM-3 is Intuitive Machines' third lunar delivery under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, sending the Nova-C class lander Trinity to Reiner Gamma — the Moon's most famous 'lunar swirl', a sinuous bright albedo marking in Oceanus Procellarum coupled to one of the strongest localized magnetic anomalies on the Moon. The manifest is headlined by NASA's Lunar Vertex suite, which pairs lander instruments with a small rover to measure the swirl's magnetic and plasma environment at the surface, and CADRE, a demonstration of three cooperative mini-rovers exploring as an autonomous team. International payloads include ESA's MoonLIGHT retroreflector pointing actuator and KASI's Lunar Space Environment Monitor. As of mid-2026 the mission is targeted for launch on a Falcon 9 no earlier than the second half of 2026.
Key Milestones
2021-11-17
NASA awards ~$77.5M CLPS task order for Reiner Gamma delivery
2025-08-07
Intuitive Machines targets second half of 2026 for IM-3 launch
TBD
Trinity landing at Reiner Gamma lunar swirl
TBD ~H2 2026
Launch on Falcon 9 from Kennedy Space Center (NET)
