The RUD ACP-TURNADO assists lunar project.

Lifting, moving and securing the heaviest and most valuable loads: That is RUD's speciality.

So it’s no surprise that the ACP-TURNADO played a role in the successful launch of the Intuitive Machines Nova-C lunar lander last week.

In the early hours of last Thursday, the IM-1 mission to the moon successfully launched with the goal of putting the first US capsule on the moon in more than 50 years. But well before the launch, a collaborative effort between Intuitive Machines and our colleagues at The Caldwell Group, Inc., utilized Caldwell’s design and build services and Caldwell and RUD components to build a transport cradle that safely moved this extraordinary piece of equipment from its build site in Houston, TX to the launch site at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, FL.

The RUD ACP-TURNADO was part of the precision engineering that allowed the first part of the lunar lander’s journey to be completed without any trouble. A spacecraft like this is extremely sensitive and moving it more than 1,000 miles safely on the roadway --- with no damage -- is a complicated task. It arrived safely in Florida, then prepared for the launch. It is now scheduled to land on the moon at 4 p.m. EST on Feb. 22.  

We are proud that our ACP-TURNADO was also able to contribute to this moon landing project and congratulation to our colleagues from Caldwell on this project!