Intuitive Machines Odysseus lands on moon in historic NASA mission

A U.S. firm has gone to the moon – and into the historical past books.

Intuitive Machines IM-1 mission reached the moon’s floor on Thursday night, within the first American lunar touchdown because the Apollo period.

The corporate’s Nova-C cargo lander, named “Odysseus” after the mythological Greek hero, is the primary U.S. spacecraft to land on the lunar floor since 1972. Including to the feat, Intuitive Machines is the primary firm to tug off a moon touchdown — authorities companies have carried out all beforehand profitable missions.

“We’re on the floor and we’re transmitting. Welcome to the moon,” Intuitive Machines’ CEO Steve Altemus stated from mission management.

There was a delay, as anticipated, between the touchdown and when engineers had been in a position to assess its success.

A couple of minutes after the anticipated touchdown time, Intuitive Machines’ mission management was nonetheless making an attempt to reconnect communications with the spacecraft to substantiate whether or not it landed. The corporate’s mission management in the end picked up a sign and introduced its lander was on the floor.

“What we are able to affirm, definitely, is that our gear is on the floor of the moon and we’re transmitting. So congratulations, IM-1,” Tim Crain, Intuitive Machines’ CTO and IM-1 mission director, stated.

“Odysseus has discovered his new residence,” Crain added.

Two hours after the touchdown, Intuitive Machines stated in an announcement that “flight controllers have confirmed Odysseus is upright and beginning to ship information.”

The corporate’s inventory surged in prolonged buying and selling Thursday, after falling 11% in common buying and selling to shut at $8.28 a share.

Intuitive Machines, a Houston, Texas-based firm based in 2013, went public a yr in the past. After shares hit an all-time low in early January, the inventory has surged and greater than tripled – a rally that Wall Road analysts describe as fueled by investor pleasure across the IM-1 mission’s progress.

The mission launched on a SpaceX rocket on Feb. 15. It’s carrying 12 authorities and business payloads — six of that are for NASA underneath an $118 million contract.

The hexagonal lander is 4.3 meters (or about 14 ft) tall, and its legs unfold 4.6 meters (or about 15 ft) broad, making the spacecraft concerning the dimension of an SUV stood on its finish.

NASA management emphasised earlier than the launch that “IM-1 is an Intuitive Machines’ mission, it is not a NASA mission.” IM-1 marks the second mission underneath NASA’s Industrial Lunar Payload Providers (CLPS) initiative, which goals to ship science tasks and cargo to the moon with rising regularity in help of the company’s Artemis crew program.

“Immediately, for the primary time in additional than a half century, the U.S. has returned to the moon. Immediately, for the primary time within the historical past of humanity, a business firm and an American firm launched and led the voyage up there,” NASA Administrator Invoice Nelson stated on the livestream

Final month, Japan turned the fifth nation to land on the moon, following Russia, the U.S., China and India.

Governments and personal firms alike have made greater than 50 makes an attempt to land on the moon with combined success because the first makes an attempt within the early Sixties, and the observe document has remained shaky even on this century. However that is not deterring the fashionable moon race that is now nicely underway.

NASA expects U.S. firms to launch further missions this yr, whereas China plans to launch its subsequent lunar lander in Might.