The United States returned to the lunar surface for the first time in more than 50 years after a custom-built spacecraft named Odysseus made a thrilling 73-minute descent from orbit in a seemingly perfect landing near the moon’s south pole.
Thursday’s so-called “soft landing,” which the founder of Texas-based company Intuitive Machines gave only an 80% chance of success, is designed to usher in a new era of lunar exploration as NASA works toward a schedule planned for late 2026. mission to send humans back to the moon.
Relating to: Nasa takes a ‘giant step forward’ as Odysseus spacecraft lands on the moon – live broadcast
Confusion ensued in the minutes after the scheduled landing time of 5:24 pm CT (11:24 pm GT) as communication with the spacecraft was not re-established, leaving managers uncertain whether Odysseus had crashed to the ground.
But finally the spacecraft spoke. Mission manager Dr Tim Crain did the same: “Welcome to the Moon. Odysseus has found his new home,” he said.
In a pre-recorded statement, NASA administrator Bill Nelson called the achievement “a giant leap forward for all of humanity.”
The Apollo 17 mission in December 1972, the space agency’s last crewed visit, was also the last time any U.S.-built spacecraft landed there, following last month’s failure of Peregrine One, another partnership between NASA and the private company Astrobotic.
There was no video of Odysseus’ fully autonomous descent, which slowed to about 2.2 mph at 33 ft above the surface. But a camera built by students at Embry-Riddle aeronautical university in Florida was designed to drop and take photos just before landing, and NASA cameras were set to photograph the ground from the spacecraft.
The 14-foot (4.3-meter) hexagonal, six-legged Nova-C lander, affectionately named Odie by Intuitive Machines employees, became the first commercial spacecraft to land on the moon. This is part of NASA’s commercial lunar payload services (CLPS) initiative, in which it awards contracts to private partners largely to support the Artemis program.
NASA contributed $118 million to get the rocket off the ground; Intuitive Machines has funded another $130 million ahead of the Feb. 15 launch from Florida’s Kennedy space center aboard Elon Musk’s SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket.
The IM-1 mission, like the ill-fated Peregrine mission, carries an array of scientific equipment designed to collect data on the lunar environment, especially in the rocky region chosen as the landing site for NASA’s crewed Artemis III mission, planned for two years. .
It’s a dangerous area, “full of all these craters,” according to Nelson, but was chosen because it was believed to be rich in frozen water that could help sustain a permanent moon base, vital for future human missions to Mars.
Scientists announced last year that they believed tiny glass beads scattered on the surface of the Moon potentially contained “billions of tons of water” that could be extracted and used in future missions.
“It’s worth the risks to see if there’s plenty of water,” Nelson told CNN on Thursday. Because if there is water, there is also rocket fuel: hydrogen and oxygen. “We could also have a gas station at the south pole of the moon.”
The solar-powered lander’s planned operational life span is just seven days before the landing site, about 300 kilometers from the moon’s south pole, enters the Earth’s shadow. But NASA hopes this will be long enough to analyze how the land responds to the impact of the landing.
Other instruments will focus on space weather effects on the lunar surface, and a network of markers will be deployed for communications and navigation.
“These bold lunar deliveries will not only drive new science on the moon, but also support the growing commercial space economy while demonstrating the power of American technology and innovation,” Nelson said after Odysseus’ launch.
“We have much to learn that will help us shape the future of human exploration for the Artemis generation.”
In 2013, former NASA engineering director Steve Altemus, who co-founded Intuitive Machines, put the chance of a successful landing at about 80%. Speaking to CNN earlier this month, he said his company had learned from the failures of other companies, including Astrobotic, and the failed landing attempts by Israel and India in 2019.
“We stand on the shoulders of everyone who tried before us,” he said.
The United States aims to stay ahead of Russia and China, both of which are planning their own crewed moon plans, through NASA’s lunar return program, Artemis, which includes long-term visions of crewed missions to Mars over the next two decades. descents.
Previously, only the United States had landed astronauts on six Apollo missions between 1969 and 1972, while five countries had deployed uncrewed spacecraft there. Japan joined the United States, Russia, China and India last month when its Lunar Probe Smart Lander (Slim) made an awkward, if successful, landing after a three-month flight.
Two more Intuitive Missions are planned to be launched later this year; these include an ice drill to extract materials needed for rocket fuel, and another Nova-C lander containing a small NASA rover and four small robots that will explore surface conditions.