Intuitive Machines will this week attempt to become the first commercial company to achieve a soft landing on the moon. If it succeeds in successfully touching down its Odysseus spacecraft on Thursday, it will also mark the first soft lunar landing by the U.S. since the final Apollo mission more than five decades ago.
The Texas-based company, which has been contracted by NASA to send Odysseus to the moon as part of the space agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) program, launched its lander aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center three days ago.
A mission update provided by Intuitive Machines on Sunday shared some amazing Earth images taken by Odysseus. At the same time the company confirmed that the spacecraft is making excellent progress as it continues its journey toward the moon.
The next crucial phase of the mission will take place on Wednesday when the team inserts Odysseus into a lunar orbit. Assuming that goes to plan, the spacecraft will be all set for its all-important descent the following day.
The main goal of the mission is to deliver a dozen science and technology payloads to the moon’s South Pole region, a part of the moon that remains unexplored and which is the focus of NASA’s upcoming Artemis missions, with the first crewed landing currently set for 2026.
How to watch
Intuitive Machines is planning to live stream the landing on the IM-1 mission web page on Thursday, February 22.
The touchdown is expected to take place in the afternoon, with the company promising to share precise timings on Monday.
Digital Trends will update this page with the latest information just as soon as it becomes available.
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