A pioneering lunar lander has sent back its first photos from space.
Selfies Taken With Earth
The Odysseus lunar lander of Intuitive Machines took a few selfies with Earth shortly after it launched last February 15 atop a Falcon 9 rocket of SpaceX. The company shared on a post on X that it successfully sent the first IM-1 mission images to Earth last February 16.
These shots were taken shortly after it separated from the second stage of SpaceX on its first lunar journey under the CLPS initiative of NASA.
Intuitive Machines successfully transmitted its first IM-1 mission images to Earth on February 16, 2024. The images were captured shortly after separation from @SpaceX's second stage on Intuitive Machines’ first journey to the Moon under @NASA's CLPS initiative. pic.twitter.com/9LccL6q5tF
— Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) February 17, 2024
The CLPS, or Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, puts agency science instruments over private lunar landers like Odysseus. Such instruments are made to gather data that could help with the Artemis program of NASA, which aims for the establishment of a crewed base close to the lunar south pole by the latter part or end of the 2020s.
If Odysseus were to successfully touch down on the lunar surface, it would become the first ever successful private lunar landing.
Odysseus IM-1 Mission
Under its IM-1 mission, Odysseus carries six experiments and tech demonstrations of NASA as well as six private payloads. According to intuitive Machines, the IM-1 mission has been going smoothly. They have also confirmed that they were able to establish communications contact with the mission operations control in Houston. The lander has also reportedly been performing as expected.
Within an hour after its launch, NASA was able to confirm that data streamed from the powerful instruments on Odysseus. This means that NASA can check the status and health of its instruments throughout the course of the journey.
One of the lunar lander's milestones was that it was able to successfully commission its engine, which is the first one to make use of liquid oxygen and liquid methane to propel the craft. The engine blasted to space to test the full flight profile, such as the necessary throttling for landing.
The craft was also able to achieve the Lunar Node 1 Navigation Demonstration activation. This is an instrument from NASA that integrates the functionality of communication and navigation. It will daily operate during the cruise and surface operations phases of the mission and offer accurate navigation data and geolocation to landers, orbiters, and surface personnel over the Moon.
This IM-1 mission is quite a historic feat for both NASA and Intuitive Machines. However, while it is momentous, this mission was not the first effort of the CLPS to take off from land. Astrobotic, another company, also launched its Peregrine lander just last month, carrying 12 private and 14 NASA payloads. However, the craft had a fuel leak and was unable to reach the Moon. The mission ended with a controlled reentry into the atmosphere of the Earth.
RELATED ARTICLE: Peregrine's Peril: Private Moon Lander Faces Imminent Collision With Earth After Fuel Leak
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