Odysseus lander takes photos of Earth before landing on the Moon
The Odysseus lander, developed by Intuitive Machines, is preparing for its big mission - the moon landing. Before the historic event, Odysseus took photos of the Earth, which convey the incredible beauty of our planet from space. The IM-1 mission successfully transmitted the first batch of photos taken immediately after launch.
After separating from SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, Odysseus quickly entered orbit around the Earth, establishing communication with the mission control centre and starting solar charging. The company successfully fired up the Nova-C lander's engine, confirming its readiness for further manoeuvres. Soon, the lander will be launched into the lunar orbit and then onto the surface.
Intuitive Machines successfully transmitted its first IM-1 mission images to Earth on 16 February 2024. The images were captured shortly after separation from @SpaceX's second stage on Intuitive Machines' first journey to the Moon under @NASA's CLPS initiative. pic.twitter.com/9LccL6q5tF
- Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) 17 February 2024
If all goes well, Intuitive Machines will become the first private company to successfully land on the moon.
The Odysseus mission is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative to develop the lunar economy and space exploration. According to NASA, this step is important for the establishment of a lunar base and future travel to other planets.
Source: Gizmodo
