Launched on SpaceX Falcon 9 at 3:05 on the 15th
Moon landing attempt on the 22nd… 52 years after Apollo 17
The US private space company Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander ‘Odysseus’ was launched.
Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C IM-1 lunar lander, nicknamed ‘Odysseus’, landed at Cape Canaveral Space Station KSC, Florida, USA at 1:05 a.m. (3:05 p.m. Korean time) on the 15th (local time). It was launched aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 from launch pad 39-A.
Odysseus was scheduled to launch at 0:57 a.m. the previous day, but was delayed by a day due to methane temperature issues.
‘Odysseus’ is a hexagonal cylinder about 4.2m high and 1.5m wide with six landing legs connected to it. Intuitive Machines explained that it is the size of an old British phone booth, similar to the TARDIS from the British science fiction drama ‘Doctor Who’.
It weighs about 1.9 tons at launch and is loaded with a laser retroreflection array, LiDAR device, stereo camera, and low-frequency wireless receiver. It is known that Jeff Koons’ art project is also included.
If the plan goes ahead without a hitch, Odysseus will attempt to land on the moon on the 22nd after swimming in space for about a week. If successful, it will become the first American probe to land on the lunar surface in 52 years since Apollo 17.
Odysseus’ expected landing site is the Malapert A crater area near the lunar south pole. It is known to be relatively rich in water ice within the crater, and has attracted the attention of scientists for a long time. It is known to be an easy place to land because the terrain is relatively flat.
It is scheduled to enter orbit around the moon about 24 hours before the landing attempt.
Stephen Altmus, CEO of Intuitive Machines, told the New York Times, “We’ve done all the tests we can,” and added, “I’m confident we’ll be able to successfully land on the moon.”
Previously, American space company Astrobotic Technology’s ‘Peregrine’ lunar lander also attempted to land on the moon on the 7th of last month, but failed due to a fatal fuel leak that occurred immediately after launch.
Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic’s lunar lander project is part of the Civil Lunar Payload Service (CLPS), a subproject of Artemis, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (NASA) manned lunar exploration program.
NASA ultimately aims to build a base camp on the moon, and is attempting to transport cargo and scientific equipment to the lunar surface with a private exploration vehicle through CLPS.
NASA has postponed the launch plan for ‘Artemis 2’, which was scheduled for the end of this year, to September 2025, and the ‘Artemis 3’ plan, which would land four astronauts on the moon, to September 2026.
Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.