Again in February 14th, I wrote right here on TGP: “Odysseus has departed on a deadly journey that’s larger-than-life. No, we aren’t speaking in regards to the mythological hero Ulysses from the immortal Odyssey and Iliad – however the brand new American spacecraft that’s embarking in a mission that’s each bit as implausible.”
Tonight we will say: TOUCHDOWN. America is again on the moon after half a century.
NBC News reported:
“A robotic spacecraft made historical past Thursday turning into the primary privately constructed craft to the touch down on the lunar floor, in addition to the primary American car to perform the feat in additional than 50 years.
The lander, constructed by Intuitive Machines, touched down on the lunar floor at round 6:23 p.m. ET, overcoming a late-stage glitch with its onboard laser devices. The probe is now the primary American spacecraft on the moon because the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.”
Nova-C lander, a.ok.a. Odysseus, was launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, and spent six days in a 620,000 mile journey to the Earth satellite tv for pc, the moon.
The touchdown time needed to be adjusted a number of occasions Thursday as Intuitive Machines corrected the spacecraft’s orbit across the moon.
“Because it descended to the lunar floor, Odysseus focused a touchdown web site close to a crater referred to as Malapert A, near the moon’s south pole. The moon’s south polar area has lengthy been tantalizing for scientists as a result of water ice is considered comparatively ample within the area’s completely shadowed craters.
Odysseus is carrying a mixture of industrial cargo and NASA science devices on its journey. The lander is anticipated to spend a few week accumulating knowledge on the moon earlier than lunar evening units in and the probe loses energy.”
Your order was delivered… to the Moon! @Int_Machines‘ uncrewed lunar lander landed at 6:23pm ET (2323 UTC), bringing NASA science to the Moon’s floor. These devices will put together us for future human exploration of the Moon beneath #Artemis. pic.twitter.com/sS0poiWxrU
— NASA (@NASA) February 22, 2024
The Nova-C mission is a part of NASA’s Industrial Lunar Payload Companies program, arrange ‘to assist improvement of moon landers by private-sector firms’.
“NASA plans to rent these firms to move cargo and scientific devices to the lunar floor as a part of the company’s broader ambitions to return astronauts to the moon.”
NASA awarded Intuitive Machines $118 million to hold out the moon profitable and historic touchdown.
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