Private US Spaceship Odysseus To Attempt Record Moon Landing Tomorrow

A US-based company is set to attempt to land America's first spaceship on the Moon in more than 50 years on Friday. The six-legged robot, Odysseus, entered lunar orbit on Wednesday by utilising its main rocket thruster for nearly seven minutes in an orbital insertion maneuver, placing it in a circular orbit about 92 km above the lunar surface.

The spacecraft is set to commence its final descent approximately an hour before the planned touchdown, scheduled for 5:30 pm EST on Thursday (4:00 am IST on Friday) at crater Malapert A near the Moon's south pole.

Equipped with science instruments and technology demonstrations for NASA and commercial customers, Intuitive Machines' Odysseus aims to operate for seven days, offering valuable insights before sunset on the landing site.

Odysseus' Terrain Relative Navigation camera captured this image of the Bel'kovich K crater in the Moon's northern equatorial highlands.

It is an approximate 50 km diameter crater with mountains in the center, made when the crater was formed.
(21FEB2024 1750 CST) pic.twitter.com/0egu0NOrKP

— Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) February 21, 2024

The spacecraft is reported to be in "excellent health" with mission controllers in Houston monitoring flight data and transmitting images of the Moon throughout its lunar orbit, which spans roughly 239,000 miles (384,000 km) from Earth.

Odysseus, a 13-foot-tall NOVA C-class lander, was launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket by SpaceX on February 15 from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

Odysseus completed its scheduled 408-second main engine lunar orbit insertion burn and is currently in a 92 km circular lunar orbit. Initial data indicates the 800 m/s burn was completed within 2 m/s accuracy. 🧵1/4 (21FEB2024 0920 CST) pic.twitter.com/ZoFStQD3cX

— Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) February 21, 2024

Should the landing succeed, the IM-1 mission will mark the first controlled descent by a US spacecraft to the lunar surface since Apollo 17 in 1972 and the initial "soft landing" by a commercially manufactured and operated vehicle under NASA's Artemis lunar program.

This mission follows the recent failure of Astrobotic Technology's lunar lander, highlighting the challenges faced by private companies in lunar exploration.

The Intuitive Machines mission, although considered its own, carries six NASA payloads designed to gather data for the Artemis program, NASA's initiative to return astronauts to the Moon later this decade.

To provide real-time coverage of this historic event, NASA plans to broadcast live landing updates on NASA+, NASA Television, the NASA app, and the agency's official website.

Odysseus, @Int_Machines' uncrewed Moon lander, is targeted to touch down at the lunar South Pole at 5:30pm ET (2230 UTC) Feb. 22. Watch live with us as this Moon delivery brings science instruments to study the region. https://t.co/7U0WfJG56b pic.twitter.com/9JXBdD4y6K

— NASA (@NASA) February 22, 2024

Upon a successful landing, Intuitive Machines and NASA will jointly host a news conference to delve into the mission's details and explore the scientific opportunities that lie ahead as the company embarks on lunar surface operations.

Intuitive Machines, co-founded by Stephen Altemus, former deputy director of NASA's Johnson Space Center, focuses on critical aspects such as space weather interactions, radio astronomy, precision landing technologies, and navigation. NASA's delayed crewed Artemis Moon landing target and China's aim for a 2030 lunar mission underscore the competitive space race.

As small landers pave the way, Odysseus' successful touchdown would signify a pivotal moment in space exploration, expanding the list of countries that have successfully landed on the Moon. The United States, the former Soviet Union, China, India, and Japan, the most recent entrant, currently comprise this exclusive group.