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spontaneous machines’ Odysseus is preparing for its attempt at a possible historic landing on the lunar surface this weekend. Things are looking good so far for the lunar lander, which showed stunning views of Earth from space.
Recent IM-1 missions transmit The first batch of photos, taken shortly after launch, reveals a series of selfies that show parts of the spacecraft with the familiar blue of Earth as an iconic background. Photos taken on Thursday, February 15 Odysseus SpaceX’s Falcon 9 separates from rocket, according to Intuitive Machines.
Odysseus It reached its intended Earth orbit approximately 48 minutes after launch and established radio communications with the Mission Operations Center in Houston, stabilized its orientation, and began solar charging.
On Friday, the company fired up the engines of its Nova-C class lunar lander, which uses liquid methane and liquid oxygen, and confirmed Odysseus Is in “excellent health”. Flight controllers are preparing the lander for a series of trajectory correction maneuvers designed to put it into orbit around the moon on Wednesday. From there the lander will get a chance to land on the lunar surface on Thursday evening.
If it succeeds in landing — a big deal considering what has happened with other recent missions — Intuitive Machines will become the first company to successfully land on the lunar surface. Other private space ventures have tried and failed to claim that coveted title. In January, astrobotic failed While attempting to reach the surface of the Moon due to a valve problem in his spacecraft. In April 2023, Japan’s iSpace Hakuto-R M1 crashed on the moon, and Israel’s SpaceIL Beresheet lander A similar fate happened in April 2019 also.
The mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which aims to provide a steady flow of landers headed to the Moon to deliver privately and publicly owned payloads. Odysseus It is loaded with 12 government-owned and commercial payloads, six of which are science and technology instruments for NASA.
The space agency is streaming data from its instruments on the lander, and flight controllers will analyze this data to inform preparations for Thursday’s landing attempt. NASA,
Odysseus Malapert is targeting A Crater, a site that is 43 miles (69 kilometers) wide and about 186 miles (300 km) from the lunar south pole. This crater, composed of lunar highland material similar to the Apollo 16 landing site, is near the Malapert Massif. One of 13 areas considered for NASA’s crewed Artemis 3 mission,
The success of the mission would represent a huge leap forward for the lunar economy and establish the Moon as a stepping stone to distant destinations in space.
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