The U.S. kept space enthusiasts on the edge of their seats by making a triumphant return to the lunar surface after about five decades since the last American spacecraft touched down on the moon.
Odysseus, a robotic lander developed by the Houston-based company, Intuitive Machines, landed near the moon's mysterious south pole on the evening of Feb. 22, 2024.
This achievement marks a historic milestone in space exploration, as it is the first time a privately developed spacecraft has achieved a soft landing on the moon. It is also the first American landing on the lunar surface since the iconic soft landing by NASA's Apollo 17 crew in December 1972.
"Today, for the first time in more than a half-century, the U.S. has returned to the moon," NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a video message just after the confirmation of a successful touchdown. "Today, for the first time in the history of humanity, a commercial company, an American company, launched and led the voyage up there. And today is a day that shows the power and promise of NASA's commercial partnerships."
The U.S. has returned to the moon after more than half a century
Image credits: NASA
"What a triumph! ... This feat is a giant leap forward for all of humanity," he concluded.
Odysseus' final approach to the moon was postponed by one orbit to activate an experimental navigation sensor from NASA. The touchdown took place at 6:23 p.m. EST near Malapert A crater, about 186 miles from the moon's south pole.
After landing, the engineering team at the Nova control center in Houston, operated by Intuitive Machines, had anticipated a wait of up to two minutes or more to re-establish communication. However, they did not receive the expected signal.
It was a nail-biting wait until a communications antenna in the United Kingdom finally detected a weak signal, confirming that the spacecraft had indeed survived the lunar landing.
"Your order was delivered… to the Moon!" NASA said
“After troubleshooting communications, flight controllers have confirmed Odysseus is upright and starting to send data. Right now, we are working to downlink the first images from the lunar surface,” Intuitive Machines said in an update on social media.
"What we can confirm, without a doubt, is our equipment is on the surface of the moon, and we are transmitting," Mission Director Tim Crain told the flight control team. "So congratulations, IM team! We'll see how much more we can get from that."
This is the first time a privately developed spacecraft has achieved a soft landing on the moon
Image credits: Intuitive Machines