Houston-based Intuitive Machines has become the first private U.S. company to land on the lunar surface after its Nova-C lander called Odysseus touched down at a crater close to the moon’s south pole.
Intuitive Machines joins a select group of five government agencies—from the U.S., Soviet Union, China, India and Japan—to successfully land on the moon.
The historic landing—the first American spacecraft to land since Apollo 17 in 1972—took place at 5:23 p.m. CST/6:23 p.m. EST on Thursday. It ended a period of 51 years, 2 months and 8 days with no American moon landings.
Powered Descent
The spacecraft’s powered descent began 12 minutes before it landed. “Odie” is carrying 12 payloads, some belonging to NASA.
Earlier in the day Intuitive Machines adjusted the landing time of its 1M-1 mission, moving it up by 19 minutes, based on the lunar orbit the spacecraft ended up in. It was then delayed, leading to a two hour “problem solving” orbit, which was followed by a communications problem upon landing that delayed its confirmation.
Mission control used Goonhilly Satellite Earth Station in Cornwall, England to finally pick up a faint signal from the spacecraft’s high-gain antenna, and confirm the landing. “Odysseus has a new home,” said mission director Dr. Tim Craine.
Before powered descent, the spacecraft snapped this image, below, of Bel’kovich K crater in the moon’s northern equatorial highlands.
First Commercial Moon Landing
“Odie” has succeeded where Peregrine failed. Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic’s Peregrine spacecraft launched successfully on Jan. 8 with the aim of becoming the first commercial spacecraft to touch down on the moon. However, after successfully launching on United Launch Alliance’s debut Vulcan Centaur rocket, a propellant leak dashed it hopes of reaching the moon and it crashed back to Earth on Jan. 18.
On Jan. 18 the Japanese Space Agency’s SLIM lander precision-landed within 55 meters of its target at, the nation’s first successful landing on the moon. It came in the wake of Japan’s ispace failing in a similar bid in 2023 and Israel’s SpaceIL also crashing into the moon in 2019.
Wishing you clear skies and wide eyes.
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