Odysseus became the first US spacecraft to land on the Moon in 50 years

The Odysseus spacecraft manufactured by Intuitive Machines from Houston has successfully landed on the surface of the Moon.

Here's What We Know

This is the first time a private company's spacecraft has landed on the lunar surface, and it is the first US-made vehicle to reach the Moon since the Apollo mission. "Odysseus was carrying NASA instruments, which, according to the space agency, will be used to prepare future crew missions to the Moon as part of the Artemis programme. NASA confirmed that the landing took place at 18:23 EST on February 22. The lander was launched from Earth on 15 February using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

According to The New York Times, there were some "technical problems with the flight" that delayed the landing for several hours. Intuitive Machines' Chief Technology Officer Tim Crane told the newspaper that "Odysseus is definitely on the moon and working, but it remains to be seen if the mission will be able to achieve its goals". "Odysseus has a limited window of about a week to send data back to Earth before darkness falls and the solar-powered craft becomes inoperable.

Intuitive Machines was not the first private company to attempt to land. Astrobotic attempted a mission in January with its Peregrine lander but failed. Intuitive Machines plans to launch two more lunar landers this year.

Source: Engadget