The Odysseus lander landed on the surface of the Moon, thus becoming the first device of this type to reach the Silver Globe as part of a private initiative.
The Odysseus lander capsized while landing on the moon’s surface. However, communication with it from Earth is still maintained.
Odysseus is the first undertaking carried out as part of the IM-1 mission. It is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, under which the American agency wants to send small landers and rovers prepared by private companies to the Moon.
The lander was manufactured by a commercial company called Intuitive Machines, which received funding for its construction under a $118 million contract with NASA. It was launched into orbit on a Falcon 9 rocket built by SpaceX.
Two more similar landers are expected to appear on the moon next year.
Sending Odysseus to the Moon is the first American initiative since 1972 to land a device from that country on the Moon.
So far, five countries have successfully landed unmanned missions on the Moon: the US, Russia, China, India and Japan. Only American astronauts have set foot on the Moon, the last time being 52 years ago. NASA is currently implementing the Artemis program, which aims to send a man to the Moon again in 2026.
cnbc.com, cnn.com