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Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 lander, also called Odysseus or “Odie,” is on the lunar surface after experiencing unexpected problems hours before landing.
“I know it’s frustrating, but we’re on the surface and we’re transmitting,” Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus said in a live webcast. “Welcome to the Moon.”
The company confirmed that Odysseus made contact with the lunar surface and that mission control received a signal from the spacecraft shortly after landing. However, his condition was not known until more than two hours later.
“After resolving the communications issues, flight controllers confirmed that Odysseus was upright and began sending data. We are currently working on downloading the first images from the lunar surface,” he said. Update from company at Xformerly Twitter.
The landing is historic as it is the first commercial spacecraft to make a soft landing on the moon and the first U.S.-made vehicle to land on the lunar surface since the Apollo program ended more than fifty years ago. This mission is of great interest to Intuitive Machines’ primary customer, NASA; NASA aims to explore the moon using robotic explorers developed by private contractors before sending astronauts there through the Artemis program later this decade.
“Today, for the first time in more than half a century, the United States is back on the moon,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. “Today is a day that demonstrates the power and promise of NASA’s commercial partnerships. “We congratulate everyone who participated in this great and brave quest.”
Odysseus touched down at 6:24 p.m. ET on Thursday after steering itself toward the cratered surface using its onboard methane-fueled engine and quickly reducing its speed to 4,000 miles per hour (1,800 meters per second).
According to NASA communications manager Gary Jordan, several hours before landing, an apparent problem with Odysseus’ navigation systems forced the lander to rely on experimental technology, resulting in a “dynamic situation.”
“Intuitive Machines has made the decision to reassign Odysseus’ primary navigation sensors to use sensors from NASA’s Navigation Doppler Lidar,” according to the webcast.
Lidar payload is an experimental technology that aims to test how future landers will make more precise landings on the moon. It is designed to shoot laser beams at the ground to give precise measurements of flight speed and direction, according to Farzin Amzajerdian, NASA’s principal investigator on the device.
With its landing legs and sensors pointed toward the lunar surface, Odysseus relied on its Lidar payload to find a safe landing spot.
The IM-1 mission comes amid a renewed international push towards the lunar surface. Since the end of the Soviet-US space race in the 20th century, China, India, and Japan have landed spacecraft on the moon; the last two made their first landings within the last six months.
The phone booth-sized lander spent the past week in space, traveling about 620,370 miles (1 million kilometers) through space before settling into lunar orbit Wednesday morning. Below is a model of the spacecraft.
What Odysseus brought to the moon
Intuitive Machines aims to land Odysseus near Malapert A, an impact crater near the moon’s south pole that is characterized by treacherous and rocky terrain.
According to NASA, Malapert A is a relatively flat region compared to its surroundings. Its location is also strategic: The South Pole has attracted widespread international attention because it is suspected to host reservoirs of water ice that could be turned into drinking water and even rocket fuel for future missions.
Odysseus has six science payloads on board, designed at various NASA laboratories and expected to operate on the lunar surface for up to seven days.
“NASA payloads will focus on demonstrating communications, navigation, and precision landing technologies and collecting scientific data on rocket plume and lunar surface interactions that impact space weather and radio astronomy,” according to the space agency.
Cargoes from the commercial sector are also on the ship. These include commemorative payloads such as insulation material developed by Columbia Sportswear designed to protect Odysseus from harsh temperatures on the moon, and a sculpture depicting the phases of the moon designed in consultation with artist Jeff Koons.
Additionally, there is a camera for the ride developed by students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. The device was set to launch from the lander and take a selfie of Odysseus. These images are expected to arrive approximately three hours after landing, but other snapshots may be shared sooner.
A week later, lunar night will plunge the landing site into darkness and plunge the spacecraft into freezing temperatures. Dramatic fluctuations in temperatures will be difficult and will likely render the vehicle inoperable.
chance of success
This mission comes after another commercial NASA partner, Astrobotic Technology, canceled its attempt to land on the moon during its mission last month. A critical fuel leak deprived the Peregrine lander of enough gas to reach the surface.
“We’re going 1,000 times further (to space) than the International Space Station,” Altemus said. “Then we fly to an orbiting object (spacecraft) that has no atmosphere to slow down. … Everything has to be done with a drive system. And we do this autonomously or robotically, with no intervention from humans.”
The United States is worried about reestablishing a presence on the moon as NASA focuses on preparing to land astronauts on the moon and aims to conduct robotic science missions aimed at learning more about the lunar environment through private partners. The space agency is targeting 2026 for the first crewed mission to the surface.
The Artemis program has already experienced delays. Altemus said he envisions companies like Intuitive Machines, which operates under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services, or CLPS, initiative, could support U.S. lunar efforts if astronaut missions face further disruptions to the schedule, especially due to competition from China.
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