Odysseus Marks the First US Moon Landing in More Than 50 Years

For the first time in more than half a century, a US-built spacecraft has made a soft landing on the moon. There was high drama and plenty of intrigue on Thursday evening as Intuitive Machines attempted to land its Odysseus spacecraft in a small crater not all that far from the south pole of the moon. About 20 minutes after touchdown, NASA declared success, but some questions remained about the health of the lander and its orientation.

During these final, crucial minutes, Odysseus' improvised terrain-relative navigation camera scanned the surface for hazards, such as boulders, to ensure a safe landing site. After the touchdown, the mission controllers knew it might take a minute or two to get a good signal back from the lander, which was relaying signals back to large satellite dishes on Earth.

Business Business Latest News, Business Business Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Historic Odysseus moon mission marks a milestone in reaching the lunar surfaceIntuitive Machines’ lunar lander successfully touched down, and mission control confirmed the Odysseus, or IM-1, spacecraft is upright, according to a company post.
Source: cnni - 🏆 326. / 59 Read more »

Moon landing: Odysseus makes first US lunar landing in over 50 yearsA private lander has made the first U.S. moon landing in more than 50 years. Intuitive Machines' lander touched down Thursday, but left flight controllers scrambling before gaining better contact. Tension mounted in the company's Houston control center when there was no immediate word from the lander following the designated touchdown time.
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »

Odysseus spacecraft is the first private mission to land on the moonIntuitive Machines has landed its Odysseus spacecraft on the moon, making it the first private company to achieve a feat previously only accomplished by national space agencies
Source: newscientist - 🏆 541. / 51 Read more »