An American ship landed on the surface Luna Especially since the first time in more than 50 years Apollo 17 Mission 1972And achieved the first natural satellite manufactured by a private company.
Company Intuitive machinesBased in Houston, I was able to pose Luna The first US space shuttle in more than 50 years as part of a new fleet Robots Unmanned Commercial Vehicles – Funding NASA– intended to prepare missions with astronauts by the end of this decade.
“We can confirm without a doubt that our group is on the surface Luna“Congratulations IM team, let's see how much more we can achieve with this,” he added.
In a message on social networks, the company later assured that the probe had landed “on its feet” and started “sending signals”.
He Hexagonal block, which contains scientific experiments NASA Y Just over four meters tall, it touched down near the satellite's south pole at 11:23pm GMT after decelerating.
Odysseus It was launched on February 15 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket It also featured a new type of supercooled liquid oxygen and liquid methane propulsion system that allowed it to fly into space in record time.
This Feb. 21, 2024, photo courtesy of Intuition Machines shows a navigation camera image of Odysseus' terrain-related Belkovich K crater in the moon's north equatorial highlands.Source: AFP
In January, an earlier attempt by another US company, Astrobotic – failed, raising doubts about whether the private sector company could repeat the feat. NASA The last was achieved in 1972 during its manned Apollo 17 mission.
“For the first time in more than 50 years, America is coming back LunaThe leader congratulated NASA, Bill Nelson, in a video. “For the first time in history a private company, an American company, has completed the journey,” he added.
Recently, India and Japan landed on the moon with their national space agencies. Earlier, the Soviet Union, USA and China had achieved this.
Lunar South Pole
The location chosen by the intuitive machines is about 300 kilometers from the South Pole. Luna.
The target crater for the lunar landing is called Malabert A, after the 17th-century astronomer.
This photo courtesy of Intuition Machines shows the first view of Earth taken during the IM-1 mission on February 16, 2024. An Intuition engine will carry the Nova-C-class Lunar Lander to the Moon, where it will attempt to land near the Moon.Source: AFP
Scorpius crew members watch live as the Odysseus spacecraft lands on the moon on February 22, 2024, from the Scorpius Space Launch Facility in Torrance, California.Source: EFE
The lunar south pole is of special interest because it contains water in the form of ice, which can be exploited.
The NASA Hopes to send astronauts Luna with its Artemis mission beginning in 2026. He wants to study the region more closely to prepare them.
To achieve this, it is using its new NASA CLPS program, which hires private companies to bring its science materials to Earth. LunaDo it yourself instead of building vehicles.
Intuitive Machines is one of these select companies. Your agreement with NASA The first mission, called IM-1, cost $118 million.
The goal is to reduce costs for the public enterprise, but to continue to improve the space economy. And despite the dangers.
US Private Company Reaches Moon Landing Milestone | Source: AFP
A photo provided by Intuition Machines on Wednesday shows Earth aboard the IM-1 mission and one of Odysseus' fuel pressure tanks. Source: EFE
Active for seven days
The lunar lander has six private cargo (including sculptures by contemporary artist Jeff Koons. Luna) and six scientific instruments NASA.
In addition, cameras located under the lunar lander will analyze the amount of dust thrown up during the descent to compare it with the Apollo moon landings.
Another instrument will measure the lunar plasma (a layer of electrically charged gas) and radio waves from the Sun and other planets.
The lunar lander will be powered by solar panels. It is expected to be operational seven days after landing on the moon. Then it will be inactive. (With information from AFP)
