The US have made history by landing on the moon 50 years after last US Lunar Mission
Private Spacecraft Odysseus Makes History With Moon Landing 50 Years After Last US Lunar Mission
The Odysseus spacecraft softly landed on the moon on Thursday (local time), marking the end of a 50-year hiatus since the previous American lunar visit. The Nova-C lander, created by Intuitive Machines (IM), a commercial space business, also accomplished a significant accomplishment by becoming the first commercially owned spacecraft to reach the lunar surface. This was the first time an American spacecraft had soft landed on the moon since the Apollo mission ended in 1972.
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LIVE NOW: NASA science is landing on the Moon aboard @Int_Machines’ uncrewed Nova-C lander, named Odysseus.
— NASA (@NASA) February 22, 2024
This is the first time an American commercial lunar lander has made it to orbit around the Moon. https://t.co/Tosd9y9yxi
Congrats to the teams and families that got the lander on the moon today… over 50 years to get here! pic.twitter.com/CzZujMdeDc
— Darby Bailey (McDonough) 🖍️💫 (@DarbyBaileyXO) February 22, 2024
“We are on the surface, and we are transmitting,” Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus announced on the webcast. “Welcome to the moon.” The company has not yet confirmed the status of the lander, but it has established contact with the moon. The Odysseus spacecraft landed near Malapert A, a crater near the moon’s south pole.
According to NASA, the area is “(A) relatively flat and safe region is within the heavily cratered southern highlands on the side of the Moon visible from Earth.” The spacecraft experienced communication problems prior to landing, and it arrived later than intended.
However, an Intuitive Machines flight controller stated that the lander was “not dead yet” and that they had received a “faint signal”. The United States is the only country to have sent humans to the moon, with Apollo 17 being the last manned trip in 1972. NASA says it chose this landing site for Intuitive Machines’ inaugural mission to learn more about the lunar environment and how communications work in this region.NASA also intends to investigate the lunar south pole because it feels it is the best location for a future astronaut base.
