Efforts that could mark a new frontier in lunar exploration began early in the morning at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Intuitive Machines robots Successful launch of lunar lander “Odysseus” 1:05 a.m. ET on February 15 on top of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The unmanned lander separated from the rocket about an hour after liftoff and began its 230,000-mile journey to the moon.
If the mission goes as planned, Odysseus will land on the moon on February 22nd, becoming the first commercial spacecraft to successfully land on the moon. Only government-funded programs from Russia, China, India, the United States, and recently Japan have landed on the moon.
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“This is a very humbling moment for all of us at Intuitive Machines,” said Trent Martin, the company’s vice president of space systems. Speaking at a pre-release press conference. “The opportunity to return America to the moon for the first time since 1972 requires a hunger for exploration, which is at the heart of everyone at Intuitive Machines.”
The spaceship is Hexagonal cylinder with 6 landing legs It is approximately 14 feet tall and 5 feet wide. Intuitive Machines calls the spacecraft design Nova-C, and notes that it’s about the same size as a classic London red phone booth.Weight when fully loaded with fuel is approx. 4,200 pounds.
The lander aims to land 296 miles from the moon’s south pole. There are cliffs and craters in the area, and the water may be frozen. NASA is the main sponsor of this mission and Intuitive Machines $118 million to deliver a payload to the moon. NASA hopes this mission, if successful, will boost the lunar economy in advance of future human missions. The space agency plans to land astronauts later this year. Six navigation and technology experiments conducted within the lander’s payload will collect data critical to these missions.
“NASA’s scientific instruments are heading to the moon. It’s a huge leap forward for humanity as we prepare to return to the moon’s surface for the first time in more than half a century.” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson stated in a statement. “These bold lunar deliveries will not only conduct new science on the Moon, but also support the growing commercial space economy while demonstrating the strength of American technology and innovation.Through CLPS flights, we There is much to learn from this research that will help shape the future of human exploration for the Artemis generation.”
a Camera made by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University students and Art project by Jeff Koons I’m also going on a trip to the moon.
Intuitive Machines employees held a naming contest to decide on a nickname for the lander and chose Odysseus, after the hero of ancient Greek poetry. Odyssey Written by Homer. Engineer Mario Romero suggested the name as an analogy to a mission to the moon.
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“This journey will take longer as there are many challenges, setbacks and delays.” Romero said in a statement:. “Traveling across the daunting wine-dark sea tests his mettle again and again, but in the end Odysseus proves himself worthy and lands in his homeland ten years later. I decided to do it.”
Odysseus launched a month after Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic’s Peregrine lunar module failed to complete its mission. The spacecraft burst into flames in Earth’s atmosphere about 10 days after its mission failed due to a ruptured fuel tank and a massive leak. Other attempts to land a civilian lunar module on the moon include: Israel’s Beresheet lander, 2019 and Japan Hakuto-R Mission 1 lander in 2023.
