![]() ![]() ![]() Japan scored a lunar landing last month, joining earlier triumphs by Russia, U.S., China and India. Intuitive Machines’ entry is the latest in a series of landing attempts by countries and private outfits looking to explore the moon and, if possible, capitalize on it. The space agency gave the company $118 million to build and fly the lander, part of its effort to commercialize lunar deliveries ahead of the planned return of astronauts in a few years. Launched last week, the six-footed carbon fiber and titanium lander - towering 14 feet (4.3 meters) - carried six experiments for NASA. After close to 15 minutes, the company announced it had received a weak signal from the lander. With this change finally in place, Odysseus descended from a moon-skimming orbit and guided itself toward the surface, aiming for a relatively flat spot among all the cliffs and craters near the south pole.Īs the designated touchdown time came and went, controllers at the company’s Houston command center anxiously awaited a signal from the spacecraft some 250,000 miles (400,000 kilometers) away. The company’s flight control team had to press an experimental NASA laser system into action, with the lander taking an extra lap around the moon to allow time for the last-minute switch. The final few hours before touchdown were loaded with extra stress when the lander’s laser navigation system failed. Intuitive Machines “aced the landing of a lifetime,” tweeted NASA Administrator Bill Nelson. We can’t wait to join you on the lunar surface in the near future,” the company said via X, formerly Twitter. Astrobotic was among the first to relay congratulations. ![]()
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