The first private spacecraft landed on the moon, it was a safe landing and has created a history. The name of the spacecraft is Odysseus Lander. It has been made by Intuitive Machines of Houston. According to NASA, its landing took place at 4:53 pm Indian time. This mission will be completed in 7 days.
For the first time in nearly 50 years, an American spacecraft has landed on the Moon. The first American mission to make a soft landing on the Moon was Apollo 17, which landed in 1972. The name of the lander that has landed on the moon is – Odysseus Lander. It has been made by Intuitive Machines of Houston. According to NASA, its landing took place at 4:53 pm Indian time. It has become the first spacecraft of a private company to land on the moon.
Odysseus is a hexagonal cylinder about 13ft (4m) tall and 5ft (1.57m) wide and weighs 1,488lb (675kg), about the size of a British phone box.
It is part of Nasa’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, which aims to involve commercial companies in the exploration of the Moon and could pave the way for astronauts to land on the Moon as part of Nasa’s Artemis programme.
However, when the Odysseus lander landed on the lunar surface, due to some malfunction, the team lost contact with the spacecraft. But scientists said that it has landed safely and is working. Now, no matter how the mission progresses from here, the landing is being considered a milestone for commercial spacecraft and the American space industry.
According to the BBC report, there was some fault in Odysseus’ navigation system before landing. Scientists thought that perhaps the spacecraft had fallen down and would no longer be able to be contacted, but after some time the connection was established again. Signals started coming from the spacecraft. After this the company was successful in making a safe landing. As soon as the spacecraft touched down, the employees jumped in joy. There was a lot of applause.
LIVE NOW: NASA science is landing on the Moon aboard @Int_Machines’ uncrewed Nova-C lander, named Odysseus.
This is the first time an American commercial lunar lander has made it to orbit around the Moon. https://t.co/Tosd9y9yxi
— NASA (@NASA) February 22, 2024
I know this was a nail-biter, but we are on the surface, and we are transmitting,” Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus annouced on the live webcast. “Welcome to the moon.”
“Odysseus has a new home.”
According to Nasa, the official landing time of the craft was 6.23pm ET, one minute prior to the orignal predicted land time.
“Your order was delivered… to the Moon!” the organisation wrote on X. “These instruments will prepare us for future human exploration of the Moon under
This spacecraft has landed on the South Pole of the Moon. This mission of America will remain active for 7 days. Because the spacecraft may malfunction due to cold. With this, America has become the second country after India to land on the South Pole. India became the first country to land on the South Pole of the Moon with the successful landing of Chandrayaan-3 on 23 August 2023. The landing of Odysseus was supposed to take place on February 14, but it had to be postponed due to technical reasons.
First private spacecraft landed on the moon successfully: America preparing for human landing on the moon in 2026
America is one of the five countries to make a soft landing on the Moon. However, it is the only country whose astronauts have successfully landed on the surface of the Moon. America’s target is to send astronauts around the Moon again next year. Apart from this, there is a landing on the lunar surface in 2026, which will be the first human landing on the Moon in more than 50 years.
But there is also a possibility that the date may be extended because earlier the Government Accountability Office had said that due to the hard work and complexities involved in making the spacecraft, the landing is likely to happen in 2027.