 "WATCH: Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lands on the moon, first successful American lander in 50 years")
Intuitive Machines has etched its name in the history of American space exploration by achieving a groundbreaking soft landing on the Moon’s surface. At 6:23 PM ET on Thursday, the Odysseus spacecraft, under the IM-1 mission banner, executed its touchdown, marking the first instance of a private company accomplishing such a feat.
More importantly, it has become the first American lander in 50 years to perform a successful landing on the Moon.
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
Traversing through the vast expanse of space for eight days, the Odysseus craft delivered 12 payloads in the vicinity of the Malapert A crater, situated within the Moon’s South Pole region. Originally slated for a touchdown at 4:24 PM., the mission encountered a momentary hurdle when flight controllers opted to extend its orbit around the Moon to troubleshoot an issue with an onboard laser instrument.
Designed to assess lunar terrain for safe landing spots, the laser complication prompted NASA to repurpose sensors from alternative instruments to aid in the descent process.
Impact Shorts
More ShortsThe tension mounted momentarily until Intuitive Machines CEO, Steve Altemus, relieved anxieties with the announcement of a successful touchdown during a live webcast, stating, “I know this was a nail-biter, but we are on the surface, and we are transmitting. Welcome to the Moon.”
The journey of Odysseus commenced on February 15 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.
With a vision to establish a continual flow of lunar-bound landers for government and commercial payload delivery, NASA’s investment in commercial lunar endeavors aims to cultivate a sustainable presence on the Moon’s rugged terrain.
Among the payloads onboard Odysseus are six instruments meticulously curated by NASA to investigate the impact of lander descents on lunar surfaces and the interplay between space weather and lunar conditions.
Additionally, the spacecraft carries a camera system crafted by students at the Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, primed to capture the moment of descent, alongside a 1.3-pound dual-camera system named ILO-X, slated to capture wide and narrow field images of the Milky Way from the lunar surface.
Scheduled for an operational tenure of approximately one week, Odysseus is poised to conduct vital observations until the onset of the lunar night in the south-polar region.
Intuitive Machines’ triumphant lunar landing marks a significant milestone, shattering the jinx that has plagued previous private attempts. Following setbacks encountered by companies such as Astrobotic, iSpace Hakuto-R M1, and SpaceIL Beresheet, Intuitive Machines’ success heralds a new era for lunar exploration and ignites fresh prospects for the burgeoning space economy.
(With inputs from agencies)
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