CSIRO is part of Intuitive Machines’ Lunar Data Network which is seeing Murriyang, our Parkes radio telescope, being used to support Intuitive Machines’ first lunar mission, IM-1, which was successfully launched last week. Intuitive Machines successfully transmitted its first IM-1 mission images to Earth on February 16th, shortly after separation from the Space-X rocket’s second stage, and shortly before the first scheduled downlink to Murriyang. As the image above shows, a storm front was passing over central NSW at the time, and just 25 minutes before the scheduled start, the telescope was storm-stowed due to the high winds and multiple lightning strikes in the area. Fortunately, the storm quickly passed and the track proceeded smoothly! (Image credit: Intuitive Machines)