Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander achieves historic milestone

Odysseus ‘soft lands’ on the lunar surface

Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C class lunar lander, named Odysseus, has landed on the lunar surface, representing the United States’ first successful controlled descent to the lunar surface since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

Odysseus landed precisely on February 22, 2024, marking the initial ‘soft landing’ on the moon by a commercially manufactured and operated vehicle under NASA’s Artemis lunar programme.

Houston, Texas-based Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus (IM-1 mission) launched on SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Centre in Florida at 1:05am EST, on February 15, 2024.

The lunar lander reached its intended orbit approximately 48 minutes later and established first communication with the lander at 1:59am EST.

Speaking on the launch date, Steve Altemus, CEO of Intuitive Machines, noted: We are keenly aware of the immense challenges. However, in facing these challenges head-on, we recognise the magnitude of the opportunity before us: to softly return the United States to the surface of the moon for the first time in 52 years.”

NASA collaboration

The IM-1 mission is the company’s first lunar landing project as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, a key part of NASA’s Artemis lunar exploration efforts.

The science and technology payloads sent to the Moon’s surface as part of CLPS intend to lay the foundation for human missions and a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface.

The significance of a US spacecraft’s latest successful lunar landing achievement is magnified by the fact that, to date, only four other countries – the former Soviet Union, China, India, and most recently, Japan – have managed ‘soft’ lunar landings.

The United States is the only country that has sent humans to the lunar surface.

Odysseus, designed to operate for seven days on solar energy, touched down at the lunar south pole, a focal point for NASA’s Artemis programme.

The lunar south pole is of strategic interest due to the presumed abundance of frozen water, potentially vital for life support and the production of rocket fuel.

NASA payload

NASA’s payload aboard Odysseus includes scientific instruments focusing on space weather interactions with the moon’s surface, radio astronomy, and various aspects of the lunar environment essential for future landing missions.

NASA’s CLPS initiative aims to utilise more minor, commercially operated vehicles to deliver instruments and hardware to the moon at a lower cost than traditional methods employed by the US space agency.

Despite this success, recent lunar landing attempts by private ventures have faced challenges.

In January 2024, Astrobotic Technology’s Peregrine lander suffered a propulsion system leak after being placed in orbit, marking the third failure of a private company to achieve a lunar touchdown.

Intuitive Machines was co-founded in 2013 by Stephen Altemus, former deputy director of NASA’s Johnson Space Centre in Houston and now the company’s president and CEO.

NASA aims to build on Intuitive Machines’ success with plans to land its first crewed Artemis mission in late 2026 as part of sustained lunar exploration and a stepping stone toward human flights to Mars.

Featured image: Odysseus transmitted this image on February 16, 2024, captured shortly after separation from SpaceX’s second-stage launch vehicle. Image: Intuitive Machines