Houston-based private company Intuitive Machines launched its first lunar mission from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
.in_text_content_22 { width: 300px; height: 600px; } @media(min-width: 600px) { .in_text_content_22 { width: 580px; height: 400px; } }
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was used to launch the Odyssey spacecraft.
Experts hope that it will land at the South Pole of the Moon on February 22.
As the Intuitive Machines ship set off for the satellite, the rocket booster used for the launch landed safely on Earth.
If all goes well, it will be the first time a private firm has successfully landed a spacecraft on the Moon. Success would also be a big deal for the United States, which has not set foot on the lunar surface since NASA’s Apollo 17 mission more than half a century ago.
Falcon 9 launched from pad 39A. About 7.5 minutes later, the rocket’s first stage returned to Earth for a vertical landing at Cape Canaveral Spaceport, which is adjacent to the NASA facility. This was the 18th launch and landing for this SpaceX launch vehicle, Space.com reports.
The descent vehicle, weighing 675 kg, first contacted mission control a few minutes after launch. Odysseus will soon begin a lunar orbit that will last six days. The craft will then prepare for its historic landing attempt, which will take place at Malaperta A, a small crater located about 300 kilometers from the moon’s south pole.
Odysseus’ instruments are designed to collect data that will help NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to establish a base near the moon’s south pole before the end of the 2020s. The region is believed to be rich in water ice, which could support Artemis astronauts on the surface and could also be processed into rocket fuel, allowing crews to refuel spacecraft far from Earth.
Odysseus carries six NASA devices worth $118 million. According to agency representatives, the development and creation of scientific equipment cost the agency another $11 million.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.