Los Angeles, Feb 23: US company Intuitive Machines' first lunar lander has touched down on the moon, marking the first American spacecraft to land on the lunar surface in more than 50 years. The uncrewed lander, named Odysseus, landed at the lunar South Pole on Thursday at 6:23 p.m. Eastern Time, according to NASA. Odysseus carries NASA science and other commercial payloads to the moon.

The spacecraft was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on Thursday last week from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The mission, codenamed IM-1, marks Intuitive Machines' first robotic flight to the moon's surface, Xinhua news agency reported. Odysseus Moon Landing: American Spacecraft Makes First Commercial Moon Landing in History (Watch Video).

Odysseus Touched Down on the Moon

The scientific objectives of the mission include studies of plume-surface interactions, radio astronomy, and space weather interactions with the lunar surface. It will also demonstrate precision landing technologies and communication and navigation node capabilities, according to NASA. INSAT-3DS: Students of Sona College of Technology Based in Salem Power ISRO’s New Weather Satellite With Precision Equipment.

NASA is working with several US companies to deliver science and technology to the lunar surface through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. The last US moon landing mission was made in December 1972, when Apollo 17 touched down on the lunar surface for the final mission of the Apollo Program.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 23, 2024 10:33 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).