Washington: In a significant milestone, a US company, Intuitive Machines, achieved the first American lunar landing in over 50 years as their spacecraft, Odysseus, successfully touched down on the moon early Friday morning.
The uncrewed lander completed its historic touchdown at the lunar South Pole on Thursday at 6:23 p.m. Eastern Time (4:53 a.m. India time), as confirmed by NASA. Odysseus is equipped with NASA science payloads along with other commercial payloads, signifying a remarkable advancement in lunar exploration.
Launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida last Thursday, the mission, known as IM-1, represents Intuitive Machines’ inaugural robotic flight to the moon’s surface, as reported by Xinhua news agency.
Key scientific objectives of the mission include studying plume-surface interactions, conducting radio astronomy, and examining space weather interactions with the lunar surface. Additionally, the mission aims to demonstrate precision landing technologies and communication and navigation node capabilities, as outlined by NASA.
This achievement underscores NASA’s collaborative efforts with various US companies under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative to facilitate scientific research and technological advancements on the lunar surface.
The last US moon landing occurred in December 1972 during the Apollo 17 mission, marking the conclusion of the Apollo Programme. However, recent attempts faced challenges, such as in January when Astrobiotic Technology’s lunar lander experienced “critical” fuel loss, preventing it from reaching the moon.
Odysseus carries six NASA instruments intended to investigate the lunar environment and test technologies crucial for future Artemis missions, furthering the prospects of sustained lunar exploration and scientific discovery.
