First private moon lander Odysseus makes historic touchdown on the lunar surface after 52 years

Odysseus successfully landed on the Moon, making it the first private lunar lander to land on the lunar surface. In a monumental achievement, the privately developed spacecraft Odysseus achieved a historic lunar touchdown on February 22, 2024.

Developed by Houston-based Intuitive Machines, Odysseus holds the distinction of being both the first private lunar lander and the first U.S. vehicle to touch down on the moon since 1972. Its landing site is situated approximately 300 kilometers from the lunar south pole, an intriguing location believed to potentially contain ice deposits.

Despite encountering a malfunction necessitating a last-minute software patch before landing, Odysseus managed to touch down safely. Now operational, it is set to embark on a mission of data collection, with plans to gather valuable information over the span of seven days. This data collection effort will continue until nightfall descends upon the landing site.

The journey of Odysseus commenced a week preceding its lunar arrival, propelled into space aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. A primary objective of this mission is to amass vital information regarding the lunar south pole, a zone earmarked for potential human habitation due to its purported water ice reservoirs.

This announcement arrives slightly over a month following a failed lunar landing attempt in January, involving the Peregrine Lunar Lander atop a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. The January mission faltered due to a critical propellant loss mere hours post-launch.

The success of Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus heralds a significant juncture in the trajectory of space exploration. It underscores the burgeoning participation of private enterprises in this domain while charting a course for further lunar expeditions and the prospect of lunar settlement. Over the ensuing week, Odysseus will engage in extensive data collection and experimentation, contributing invaluable insights crucial for subsequent lunar endeavors.

Below is a video of the landing.