Intuitive Machines, a Houston-based company, has successfully landed the first US spacecraft on the Moon in over 50 years. This achievement marks a significant milestone for NASA’s initiative to fund unmanned commercial robots to help expedite missions involving astronauts towards the end of this decade.
The spacecraft, a hexagonal module named Odysseus, was launched from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket on February 15. It landed near the Moon’s south pole after reducing its speed. The module, which stands just over four meters tall, carries several scientific experiments funded by NASA.
Although a weak signal has been received from the module, it remains unclear whether Odysseus is fully operational as some speculation during the live broadcast suggested it might have gone off course.
Tim Crain, a representative from Intuitive Machines, confirmed during the live video broadcast that their team was indeed on the lunar surface and transmitting. He congratulated his team and expressed anticipation for their future achievements.
Odysseus features a new type of propulsion system that uses supercooled liquid oxygen and aqueous methane, enabling it to traverse space in record time. This successful landing comes after a failed attempt by another US company, Astrobotic, which raised doubts about the private sector’s ability to replicate NASA’s accomplishment with its Apollo 17 manned mission in 1972.
Joel Kearns of NASA shared that the current mission is one of the first to explore the south pole, aiming to study the environmental conditions where future astronauts may be sent.
Questions such as the type of dust or soil, temperature, and ambient radiation are some of the considerations before deploying human explorers, added Kearns. The landing site chosen by Intuitive Machines is about 300 kilometers from the Moon’s south pole, a location of interest due to its ice water deposits.
NASA’s Artemis missions plan to send astronauts to the Moon in 2026. To prepare for this, NASA is utilizing its new CLPS program, commissioning private companies to deliver scientific material to the Moon instead of developing their own vehicles. Intuitive Machines is one of these selected companies, with their contract for the IM-1 mission amounting to 118 million dollars.
The goal of this program is to reduce costs for NASA while continuing to develop the space economy, despite the inherent risks.
Seven days active
The lunar lander Odysseus carries six private cargoes and six NASA scientific instruments. Cameras situated beneath the lander will analyze the dust dispersion during descent, comparing it with the Apollo lunar landings. Another instrument will study lunar plasma and measure radio waves from the Sun and other planets. The module, powered by solar panels, is expected to remain active for seven days post-landing before becoming inoperative.
