A private spacecraft from the US was launched to the moon, 50 years after the last Apollo mission.
A spacecraft created by Intuitive Machines, a Houston-based aerospace company, was sent into space from Florida on Thursday morning. Its objective is to make the first American landing on the moon in over 50 years and the first by a privately-owned vehicle.
The organization’s Nova-C spacecraft, named Odysseus, launched around 1 a.m. EST (0600 GMT) on a Falcon 9 rocket operated by Elon Musk’s SpaceX from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.
The live broadcast from NASA and SpaceX displayed a 25-story rocket launching from the pad and soaring into the night sky above Florida’s Atlantic coast, leaving behind a bright yellow trail of exhaust.
The planned launch for Wednesday morning was delayed by 24 hours due to abnormal temperatures detected in the liquid methane used to power the lander. SpaceX reported that the problem was resolved shortly after.
The IM-1 flight, which is part of Intuitive Machines’ mission, will be carrying six NASA payloads. These instruments are specifically designed to collect data on the lunar environment in preparation for NASA’s upcoming mission to send astronauts back to the moon in the next decade.
On August 1st, 2023, in Arguineguin on the island of Gran Canaria, Spain, women are seen walking up a mountain with the full moon, also known as the “Sturgeon Moon,” in the background.
On Thursday, a spacecraft was launched, one month after another private company, Astrobotic Technology, experienced a leak in its propulsion system while on its way to the moon. This happened shortly after being placed in orbit on January 8 by a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket on its first-ever flight.
Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander was unsuccessful in its attempt to land on the moon, making it the third private company to fail in achieving a “soft landing” on the lunar surface. This follows unsuccessful attempts by companies from Israel and Japan.
The accidents demonstrated the dangers NASA must consider as it relies more on private companies to achieve its goals for space travel, a departure from its previous approach.
Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C vehicle is scheduled to reach its destination at crater Malapert A near the moon’s south pole on February 22. The vehicle, which is a hexagonal cylinder with four legs, will take about a week to complete its flight.
If the flight is a success, it would mark the first time a U.S. spacecraft has intentionally landed on the moon since the last Apollo mission with a crew in 1972. This would also be the first time a private company has achieved this feat.
This achievement would also signify the initial mission to the moon’s surface as part of NASA’s Artemis program, as the United States strives to bring astronauts back to our planet’s natural satellite before China sends their own manned spacecraft there.
IM-1 represents NASA’s newest attempt at utilizing private spacecrafts to minimize the expenses of the Artemis missions, which are intended to pave the way for human exploration of Mars.
In contrast, NASA purchased rockets and other technology from the private sector during the Apollo era, but retained ownership and operated them independently.
NASA recently stated that the planned date for their first crewed Artemis moon landing has been pushed back from 2025 to late 2026. Meanwhile, China has announced their goal of achieving a similar feat by 2030.
Small landers such as Nova-C are expected to get there first, carrying instruments to closely survey the lunar landscape, its resources and potential hazards. Odysseus will focus on space weather interactions with the moon’s surface, radio astronomy, precision landing technologies and navigation.
The IM-2 mission by Intuitive Machines is set to touch down at the southern part of the moon in 2024. This will be followed by an IM-3 mission later in the year, which will include multiple small rovers.
In recent news, Japan successfully landed its SLIM probe on the moon, making it the fifth country to do so. This was achieved with great precision by their space agency JAXA. Additionally, India became the fourth nation to land on the moon last year, following a failed attempt by Russia in the same month.
The United States, the former Soviet Union and China are the only other countries that have carried out successful soft lunar touchdowns. China scored a world first in 2019 by achieving the first landing on the far side of the moon.
Source: voanews.com
