America has made history once again by returning to the moon after 51 years.
The NASA-backed Odysseus craft, known as Odie, successfully landed on the lunar surface, marking an extraordinary milestone in space exploration.
The United States repeated history in returning to the moon after more than 50 years
Human's journey to the moon reached a remarkable milestone as America successfully set foot on the lunar surface for the first time in 51 years.
The historic event marked a significant achievement, with the last US expedition to the moon taking place in 1972 during the Apollo missions.
The NASA-backed Odysseus craft, called Odie, successfully touched down on the moon, marking a momentous achievement in space exploration.
The Odysseus, a six-legged robot lander, successfully landed on the moon's south pole at 6:24 pm ET after decelerating from an incredible speed of 6,500 kph (4,000 mph).
Dr. Tim Crain, the mission director, expressed his joy and relief, announcing, "Houston, Odysseus has landed in its new home."
The Intuitive Machines team celebrated with cheers and excitement upon receiving confirmation of the successful landing.
The perfect collaboration between NASA and Intuitive Machines has created a remarkable achievement.
The Odysseus mission was carried out by Intuitive Machines, a company based in Houston.
While it was a private venture, NASA played a vital role by sponsoring the mission and facilitating the transportation of scientific instruments and technology to the moon's surface.
This collaboration underscores the significance and potential of NASA's commercial partnerships.
Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus announced the successful landing on the moon's surface, while NASA Administrator Bill Nelson congratulated the team.
This marked the first US landing on the moon in over 50 years.
The mission, sponsored by NASA, aimed to collect data on lunar environmental factors.
Intuitive Machines' success sets them apart from other private attempts and contributes to future lunar exploration.
The mission's accomplishments bring the US back to the moon and pave the way for further advancements.
The live-streamed landing attempt kept everyone on the edge of their seats until flight controllers confirmed the successful landing approximately 15 seconds after the milestone was achieved.
Intuitive Machines is one of the rare private companies to successfully land on the moon
Intuitive Machines succeeded where other private companies had faced setbacks. Astrobotic Technology's Peregrine lander, for example, experienced a propulsion leak and did not achieve a lunar touchdown.
Odie remained in excellent condition as it orbited the moon, approximately 239,000 miles away from Earth, transmitting valuable flight data and lunar images to Intuitive Machines' mission control center in Houston.
Equipped with a suite of scientific instruments and technology demonstrations, Odie relied on solar energy to operate for seven days before the polar landing site experienced darkness.
This achievement is extraordinary since only five countries, including the US, Russia, China, India, and Japan have successfully landed on the moon, and no private company has accomplished this feat before.
The United States had not returned to the moon's surface since the conclusion of the Apollo program more than half a century ago.
