Intuitive Machine became the first private company to land the Odysseus spacecraft on the moon
A spacecraft owned and operated by Texas-based company Intuitive Machines made a landing near the Moon's south pole on Thursday, the first American landing on the Moon in nearly 50 years and the first by a private company. Reuters reported.
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa) hailed the landing as a significant step toward its goal of deploying a group of commercial spacecraft on scientific reconnaissance missions to the Moon before humans are expected to return there at the end of this decade.
After Thursday's landing, there were initial communication problems that raised concerns about whether the six-legged unmanned landing robot known as Odysseus had been damaged or jammed in some way.
The landing completed a suspenseful final approach and descent, during which a problem arose with the spacecraft's autonomous navigation system.
Additionally, it took some time to reestablish contact with the spacecraft and learn its destination following an expected radio blackout that occurred about 239,000 miles from Earth.
When contact was finally renewed, the signal was weak, confirming that the lander had landed but leaving mission control immediately unsure as to the precise condition and orientation of the vehicle, according to the webcast.
“Our team is on the surface of the moon and we're transmitting, so congratulations, IM team,” Intuitive Machines mission director Tim Crain was heard saying in the operations center.
“We'll see what else we can get out of it.”
