On Thursday, February 15, a privately-led US spacecraft departed from Florida's Kennedy Space Center for a lunar landing, marking the second attempt this year following a previous failure.
This lunar mission aims to achieve the first US landing since the Apollo missions over 50 years ago and the inaugural landing by a privately owned spacecraft.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from launch pad LC-39A at the Kennedy Space Center with the Intuitive Machines' Nova-C moon lander mission, in Cape Canaveral, Florida, on February 15, 2024.
First Soft Lunar Landing Since 1972
Intuitive Machines, leading the IM-1 mission, is striving to achieve a historic lunar soft landing with its Nova-C lander, aspiring to be the first private entity to accomplish this feat.
The hexagonal-shaped lander, named "Odysseus," successfully took off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 1:00 am local time, following a brief postponement due to abnormal temperatures during fueling on Wednesday.
A live online feed from NASA-SpaceX captured the 25-story rocket's dynamic ascent from the launch pad, leaving a fiery plume in Florida's night sky. Approximately 48 minutes post-launch, the six-legged lander separated from Falcon 9's upper stage, embarking on its lunar journey 139 miles above Earth.
NASA officially confirmed the separation of the Nova-C lander, signifying the commencement of its journey to the Moon. Shortly after, radio signals from Odysseus were received in Houston, initiating the automated process of activating its systems and aligning itself in space.
The Nova-C lander incorporates an innovative supercooled liquid methane and oxygen engine, providing the necessary propulsion to swiftly reach the Moon and minimize exposure to the Van Allen belt's high radiation around Earth.
Trent Martin from Intuitive Machines emphasized the engineering achievement, expressing the company's eagerness to lead the United States back to the Moon, a venture not undertaken since 1972. Despite the launch delay, Odysseus is scheduled to reach its destination, the Malapert A landing site near the South Pole, on February 22.
NASA envisions a prolonged lunar presence, aiming to harvest ice on the Moon for drinking water and rocket fuel through its Artemis program. The space agency invested $118 million in Intuitive Machines to transport science hardware, including a digital archive and 125 mini-sculptures by artist Jeff Koons, with the first astronaut landing anticipated by 2026.
Once on the lunar surface, the payloads will operate for about seven days before lunar nightfall at the south pole renders Odysseus temporarily inoperable.
READ ALSO: Intuitive Machines Selects SpaceX for Next Lunar Lander Mission
M-1 Lunar Mission Advances Private Sector Engagement
IM-1 is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, designed to outsource cargo services to the private sector, promoting cost-efficiency and stimulating lunar economic activities. The first mission, led by Astrobotic, faced challenges when its Peregrine spacecraft encountered an engine anomaly and was brought back to burn up in Earth's atmosphere after a fuel leak.
Soft landing robots on the Moon present difficulties due to navigating challenging terrain with communication delays and controlled descent reliance on thrusters in the absence of an atmosphere.
While the U.S. has recently re-entered lunar exploration, China, India, and Japan have achieved successful landings. Intuitive Machines has additional launches planned, joined by Texas-based Firefly Aerospace, while Astrobotic will make another attempt in 2024, carrying a NASA rover to the Moon's south pole.
NASA's shift towards purchasing services from commercial partners represents a departure from Cold War practices when it had an extensive budget and dictated contracts meticulously.
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