Intuitive Machines
Texas - found Intuitive Machines is on course to perform the first successful soft lunar landing by a commercial-grade caller , as well as the first U.S. Sun Myung Moon landing place since the final Apollo mission more than five decade ago .
But , as the company said in a message on social metier , “ The landing opportunity will be Odysseus ’ hardest take exception yet . ”
Intuitive Machines
The uncrewed Odysseus space vehicle successfully record a lunar orbit on Wednesday , putting it on a path for a landing endeavor on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. ET .
The company released a dramatic image ( below ) on Wednesday showing the spacecraft ’s destination tantalizingly close , just 57 statute mile ( 92 klick ) above the lunar surface .
Odysseus pass over the near side of the Moon follow lunar field intromission on 21FEB2024 . The lander continues to be in first-class health in lunar orbit.(21FEB2024 1608 CST)pic.twitter.com / UX4kgkv5EW
& mdash ; Intuitive Machines ( @Int_Machines)February 21 , 2024
“ Odysseus completed its scheduled 408 - second main locomotive lunar reach introduction burn , ” Intuitive Machines said . “ Initial data point show the 800 m / s burn was completed within 2 m / s truth . ”
It add that Odysseus continues to be in splendid health and that “ over the next day , while the lander remains in lunar compass , flying controllers will dissect the complete flight of steps data and transmit imagery of the moon . ”
That include the picture below becharm by Odysseus ’ Terrain Relative Navigation television camera read the Bel’kovich K crater in the moon ’s northern equatorial highlands . “ It is an close together 50 - kilometer - in - diameter [ 31 - mile - in - diameter ] crater with mountains in the center , made when the crater was form , ” the company said .
Odysseus ’ Terrain Relative Navigation camera capture this image of the Bel’kovich K volcanic crater in the Moon ’s northern equatorial highlands .
It is an rough 50 km diameter crater with sight in the center , made when the volcanic crater was formed.(21FEB2024 1750 CST)pic.twitter.com/0egu0NOrKP
The IM-1 mission , which is part of NASA ’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services ( CLPS ) program , launched from the Kennedy Space Centerin Florida last calendar week and is carrying with it 12 science and technology payloads for NASA and other organization .
NASA will live stream Thursday ’s highly hoped-for landing attempt and Digital Trendshas all the information you needto watch it .
