Private Spacecraft Odysseus Successfully Lands on the Moon, Marking Historic Milestone

In a historic achievement for space exploration, the United States has made a triumphant return to the moon with the successful landing of the private spacecraft Odysseus near the lunar south pole. Built by Houston-based company Intuitive Machines Inc., the robotic lander's soft landing on the moon on Thursday evening represents a groundbreaking moment, as no private spacecraft had achieved this feat.

The last American vehicle to achieve a soft landing on the moon was NASA's crewed Apollo 17 lander in December 1972. The recent success of Odysseus marks a significant milestone for space exploration, garnering praise from NASA Administrator Bill Nelson, who declared it a "giant leap forward for all of humanity."

The lunar landing is a crucial component of NASA's Artemis programme, which aims to establish a long-term, sustainable human presence on and around the moon by the end of the 2020s. Additionally, the programme seeks to leverage the knowledge gained for future missions to Mars in the late 2030s or early 2040s.
In 2019, NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program chose Intuitive Machines to use its Nova-C lander, Odysseus, to deliver a number of NASA science instruments to the lunar surface. The mission, valued at $118 million, included delivering six agency experiments and technology demonstrations.

The successful landing of Odysseus represents a significant stride towards developing a lunar economy, according to Sue Lederer, CLPS project scientist at Johnson Space Center in Houston. The achievement opens new possibilities for scientific research and exploration on the moon.

The journey of Intuitive Machines faced challenges, with the initial launch of the Nova-C lunar lander being postponed due to a technical issue related to methane temperatures. However, the company overcame these challenges and successfully launched the lander on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The successful lunar orbit insertion burn of Odysseus was a critical phase of the mission, ensuring the spacecraft's trajectory and descent to the lunar surface were executed flawlessly.

Intuitive Machines' shares responded positively to the historic achievement, soaring 41.3% to $11.75 in after-hours trading. The shares had closed 11.16% lower at $8.28 in regular trading on Thursday. The successful lunar landing not only marks a significant moment in space exploration history but also emphasises the potential of private companies to advance human endeavours beyond Earth.