Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lunar lander has successfully transmitted the first images from space to Earth. The robotic spaceship has been on its way to the moon since February 15. Shortly after launch, the Falcon 9 rocket, built by SpaceX, sent back some selfies with Earth in the background.
This achievement was announced by the American company Intuitive Machines via a post on Intuitive Machines, headquartered in Houston, was founded in 2013 by the trio Steven Altemus, Cam Gaffarian and Tim Crane. The company expects to continue providing mission updates on X at least once a day.
The first unmanned landing on the moon
Odysseus will be the first unmanned American landing on the moon since the Apollo missions of 1961-72. The spacecraft is in excellent condition and is on its way to a planned landing attempt on February 22.
The intuitive machines use a mixture of liquid methane and liquid oxygen for their engine. This combination is also used in SpaceX's Raptor rocket engines, which power the Starship rocket. Starship is SpaceX's ambitious project to transport people to the Moon and Mars.
Goal
The company's goal is to achieve lunar orbit, soft landing on the lunar surface, and enable communications from the moon. Intuitive Machines also has three contracts with NASA to transport payloads to the lunar surface.
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