Intuitive Machines, a US company, has achieved a significant milestone by successfully landing its first lunar lander, Odysseus, on the moon. This marks the first time in over 50 years that an American spacecraft has landed on the lunar surface. The uncrewed lander touched down at the lunar South Pole on Thursday at 6:23 p.m. Eastern Time, as confirmed by NASA. Odysseus is equipped to carry NASA science experiments and other commercial payloads to the moon.
Odysseus was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. This mission, known as IM-1, signifies Intuitive Machines’ inaugural robotic flight to the moon’s surface. The scientific goals of the mission encompass various studies, including plume-surface interactions, radio astronomy, and space weather interactions with the lunar surface.
This hexagon-shaped vessel, part of a new fleet of NASA-funded unmanned commercial robots, touched down near the lunar south pole at 2323 GMT, decelerating from 4,000 miles (6,500 kilometers) per hour.
Your order was delivered… to the Moon! 📦@Int_Machines‘ uncrewed lunar lander landed at 6:23pm ET (2323 UTC), bringing NASA science to the Moon’s surface. These instruments will prepare us for future human exploration of the Moon under #Artemis. pic.twitter.com/sS0poiWxrU
— NASA (@NASA) February 22, 2024
But communication with the vehicle took several minutes to re-establish, and the initial signal was faint, leaving mission control uncertain as to the precise condition and position of the lander, according to flight controllers heard in the webcast.
The spacecraft was not designed to provide live video of the event.
The vehicle is carrying a suite of scientific instruments and technology demonstrations for NASA and several commercial customers designed to operate for seven days on solar energy before the sun sets over the polar landing site.
NASA calls it ‘giant leap forward for all of humanity’
NASA administrator Bill Nelson called the mission a “triumph” and a “giant leap forward for all of humanity”. In a televised statement following the successful landing, he said: “Today for the first time in more than half a century the US has returned to the moon.
“For the first time in the history of humanity, an American company launched and led the voyage up there. “Today is a day that shows the power and promise of NASA’s commercial partnerships.
“Congratulations to everyone involved in this great and daring quest at Intuitive Machines, SpaceX and right here at NASA.
“What a triumph – Odysseus has taken the moon. This feat is a giant leap forward for all of humanity. Stay tuned.”
Previous moon landings
The last US moon landing mission occurred in December 1972 when Apollo 17 successfully landed on the lunar surface, marking the final mission of the Apollo Program. The successful landing of Odysseus represents a significant step forward in lunar exploration and highlights the ongoing efforts to advance space exploration capabilities.
To date, spacecraft from just four other countries have ever landed on the moon – the former Soviet Union, China, India and, mostly recently, just last month, Japan. The United States is the only one ever to have sent humans to the lunar surface.
