Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, 'Out There,' was published on Nov. 13, 2018.
's south pole on Feb. 22, becoming the first-ever private spacecraft to ace a lunar landing. Success would also be a big deal for the United States, which hasn't been to the lunar surface since NASA's"It is a profoundly humbling moment for all of us at Intuitive Machines," Trent Martin, the company's vice president of space systems, said during a prelaunch press conference on Tuesday .
"The opportunity to return the United States to the moon for the first time since 1972 demands a hunger to explore, and that's at the heart of everyone at Intuitive Machines," he added. The first stage of the Falcon 9 rocket that launched Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus moon lander touches down at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Feb. 15, 2024.The Falcon 9 lifted off from KSC's Pad 39A today at 1:05 a.m. EST . About 7.5 minutes later, the rocket's first stage came back to Earth for a vertical touchdown atThe Falcon 9's upper stage, meanwhile, kept powering its way into the sky, eventually deploying Odysseus into a lunar transfer orbit roughly 48.5 minutes after launch as planned. The 1,490-pound lander — which is about the size of a British telephone booth from the moon's south pole. NASA will watch the touchdown try with especially keen interest, for the space agency has a lot riding on Odysseus and its current mission, known as IM-1. Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus moon lander deploys from the second stage of its Falcon 9 rocket on Feb. 15, 2024.NASA booked a ride on IM-1 via its Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which seeks to leverage the capabilities of private American robotic landers to get agency science gear down on the moon more cost-effectively. , which aims to establish a crewed base near the moon's south pole by the end of the 2020s. This region is thought to be rich in water ice, which could support Artemis astronauts on the surface and also be processed into rocket propellant, allowing crews to refuel spacecraft away from Earth. Odysseus is carrying six NASA instruments on IM-1, which were put on board via a NASA contract valued at $118 million. It cost the agency an additional $11 million to develop and build the scientific hardware, NASA officials have said.ROLSES will characterize the electron plasma and radio environments near IM-1's landing site; LRA , a tiny set of reflectors, will serve as a guidepost to help future landers make precision touchdowns on the moon;SCALPSS will study how Odysseus' exhaust plume interacts with lunar dirt and rocks during landing, gathering data that could inform future Artemis lander designs; LN-1 , a small radio navigation beacon, will demonstrate autonomous spacecraft positioning tech, which could aid future lunar rovers and landers and eventually become part of a larger, GPS-like system on and around the moon; RFMG will use radio waves to measure how much fuel is left in Odysseus' tank — something that's tough to do in a microgravity environment. Odysseus is also carrying six commercial payloads for a variety of customers, including Columbia Sportswear, which will test its"Omni-Heat Infinity" insulative material on IM-1. Among the other private payloads is a set of sculptures by artist Jeff Koons and a"secure lunar repository," which aims to help safeguard the entirety of human knowledge should something terrible happen here on Earth. Also flying on IM-1 is EagleCam, which was built by students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. This camera system will deploy from Odysseus as it nears the lunar surface and attempt to snap photos of the lander's touchdown.shortly after deploying from the rocket's upper stage. After quite a long saga, the lunar lander ended up making a As Peregrine's example shows, acing a moon mission remains a tall order — especially for a private spacecraft. So, there's certainly no guarantee that Odysseus will succeed, especially this early in the game. NASA has tapped Intuitive Machines for two additional moon missions after this one, and the agency plans to put payloads on future commercial landers as well. "We've always viewed these initial CLPS deliveries as being kind of a learning experience, where we're all going to learn and react to how they go," Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for Exploration, Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters, said during Tuesday's prelaunch telecon. "We're learning from every attempt — not only that we have in the U.S., but we also watch the attempts being made by some of our allies, and some of our competitors," he added.to keep talking space on the latest missions, night sky and more! And if you have a news tip, correction or comment, let us know at:Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life,"Out There," was published on Nov. 13, 2018. Before becoming a science writer, Michael worked as a herpetologist and wildlife biologist. He has a Ph.D. in evolutionary biology from the University of Sydney, Australia, a bachelor's degree from the University of Arizona, and a graduate certificate in science writing from the University of California, Santa Cruz. To find out what his latest project is, you can follow Michael on Twitter.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
SpaceX launching 22 Starlink satellites to orbit from California tonight (Feb. 7)Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, 'Out There,' was published on Nov. 13, 2018.
Read more »
Relive SpaceX Starship's epic 2nd test flight in newly released NASA footage (video)Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, 'Out There,' was published on Nov. 13, 2018.
Read more »
SpaceX Falcon 9 Rocket Successfully Launches NASA's PACE MissionThe SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched NASA's newest Earth-observation satellite, the PACE (Plankton, Aerosol, Cloud, Ocean Ecosystem) mission. The rocket lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Thursday, February 8, at 1:33 a.m. EST. The PACE mission aims to monitor the health of our planet in the face of climate change by collecting extensive data on various aspects of the Earth's ecosystem.
Read more »
SpaceX aims to let astronauts avoid a radio blackout during re-entryWhen spacecraft re-enter Earth’s atmosphere, friction heats them up and creates a plasma sheath that stops communications – but SpaceX thinks its Starlink satellites could solve the problem
Read more »
SpaceX rolls giant Starship rocket to launch pad ahead of 3rd test flight (photos)Michael Wall is a Senior Space Writer with Space.com and joined the team in 2010. He primarily covers exoplanets, spaceflight and military space, but has been known to dabble in the space art beat. His book about the search for alien life, 'Out There,' was published on Nov. 13, 2018.
Read more »
SpaceX Fined for 'Near Amputation' of Employee's LimbScience and Technology News and Videos
Read more »