Private US Moon Lander, Odysseus, Marks a Historic Lunar Return Attempt”
A moon lander, developed by Intuitive Odysseus Machines based in Houston, was launched from Florida early on Thursday, aiming to achieve the first US lunar touchdown in over half a century and the first by a privately owned spacecraft.
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Odysseus
Named Odysseus, the Nova-C lander lifted off atop a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX, led by Elon Musk, at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The mission, initially scheduled for Wednesday, was delayed by 24 hours due to irregular temperatures detected in the lander’s liquid methane propulsion system, later resolved by SpaceX.
Despite being an Intuitive Machines mission, the IM-1 flight carries six NASA payloads designed to collect lunar environment data ahead of NASA’s planned astronaut return to the moon this decade. This launch follows a propulsion system leak in the lunar lander of another private firm, Astrobotic Technology, last month, emphasizing the challenges faced by private companies attempting lunar landings.
Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C vehicle, shaped like a hexagonal cylinder with six legs, is expected to land near the moon’s south pole on February 22. If successful, this would mark the first controlled descent to the lunar surface by a US spacecraft since 1972 and the first by a private company. It is also a crucial step in NASA’s Artemis program, racing against China’s plans to land crewed spacecraft on the moon.
This mission represents NASA’s strategy of leveraging private companies to reduce costs for its space exploration goals. The success of Nova-C would pave the way for small landers, like IM-2 and IM-3, scheduled for lunar landings in 2024, as part of the broader exploration of the lunar landscape, resources, and potential hazards. Japan and India have also achieved lunar landings, joining the US, the former Soviet Union, and China in the select group of countries with successful soft lunar touchdowns.
