The Odysseus lander designed by private aerospace company Intuitive Machines has become the first US-made spacecraft to touch down on the Moon since 1972. It was launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on February 15.

• “Without a doubt, our equipment is on the surface of the Moon, and we are transmitting,” Intuitive Machines co-founder Tim Crain said during the livestream.
• “Today for the first time in more than a half-century, the US has returned to the Moon,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said shortly after the 4.3-meter-high lander successfully reached the lunar surface.
• “Today is a day that shows the power and promise of NASA’s commercial partnerships.”

While orbiting the Moon, Odysseus snapped a picture of the Bel’kovich crater.

The lander contains six NASA research devices, including equipment for analyzing lunar soil and the electron plasma.

The Odysseus also carries a work by American artist Jeff Koons – a transparent box with 125 stainless-steel round sculptures representing the phases of the Moon.

• The US stopped sending landers on the Moon after the Apollo 17 mission concluded in December 1972.

Last month, NASA announced that its Artemis II mission – a crewed lunar flyby – has been delayed until September 2025.

The return of astronauts on the Moon is now expected in September 2026.

Source: RT

Header: Intuitive Machines successfully transmitted its first IM-1 mission images to Earth on February 16, 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.