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SPACE ODYSSEY: Nova-C Lunar Mission Takes off in Florida, on Its Way to the First American Moon Landing in More Than Half a Century

February 15, 2024
Paul Serran

Odysseus has departed on a perilous journey that is larger-than-life. No, we are not talking about the mythological hero Ulysses from the immortal Odyssey and Iliad – but the new American spacecraft that is embarking in a mission that is every bit as fantastic.

We are talking about a solar-powered lunar lander lifted off from Florida early on Thursday on a mission to become the first private spacecraft to achieve a controlled moon landing.

Read: Lost in Space: Russia Confirms That Luna-25 Has Crashed in the Moon Surface After Failed Orbital Maneuver

The Guardian reported:

“Odysseus, the working name for the uncrewed Nova-C lander built by the Houston-based aerospace company Intuitive Machines, lit up the skies above Cape Canaveral shortly after 1am on a Falcon 9 rocket from Elon Musk’s SpaceX company.

Its scheduled 22 February touchdown near the moon’s south pole would be the first lunar landing of a US spacecraft since Nasa’s final Apollo mission in December 1972, and the first by a non-government entity. It will deliver a suite of scientific equipment belonging to the agency that will gather data about the lunar environment to help prepare for the next landing of US astronauts, the Artemis III mission currently scheduled for 2026.”

Intuitive Machines, owned by a former Nasa’s director of engineering, invested about $130m into the IM-1 mission, with Nasa funding a further $118m to get it off the ground.

Read: Moon Vibes: Indian Space Mission Finds Oxygen, Sulphur and Other Chemical Elements on the Lunar Surface, While Seismic Study of the South Pole Reveals ‘Unexplained Vibration’

Odysseus will undertake a 240,000-mile, weeklong journey to the moon.

“The lander is a 14ft (4.3 meter) hexagon-shaped craft with six legs, and is aimed towards a landing at crater Malapert A close to the lunar south pole. Nasa is targeting the craggy area for the first Artemis landing, believing it rich in frozen water that could help sustain a permanent lunar base crucial to future human missions to Mars.

Odysseus is carrying a payload of six Nasa science instruments and technology demonstrations as part of the agency’s commercial lunar payload services initiative tied to its Artemis program.”

Read: NASA’s Artemis Lunar Missions Delayed Yet Again – Astronauts Now Set To Land on the Moon in 2026 – Peregrine Lander Was Abandoned in Space Due to Fatal Fuel Leak

The mission’s instruments will study space weather effects on the lunar surface, and a network of markers for communication and navigation will be deployed on Earth’s satellite.

“’Nasa scientific instruments are on their way to the moon, a giant leap for humanity as we prepare to return to the lunar surface for the first time in more than half a century’, the Nasa administrator, Bill Nelson, said. ‘These daring moon deliveries will not only conduct new science at the moon, but they are supporting a growing commercial space economy while showing the strength of American technology and innovation. We have so much to learn that will help us shape the future of human exploration for the Artemis generation’.”

Futurism reported:

“If successful, the Odysseus lander will be both the first private lunar lander in history to make safe landfall on the surface of the Moon and the first American craft to touch down there since the Apollo 17 mission in late 1972 — with the operative word here being ‘if’.”

Read: OH, NO: Japanese SLIM Lunar Lander Is Upside Down on the Moon Surface!

Only two of the five landers that attempted lunar touchdowns last year where successful — and the Japanese one landed upside down.

“As NASA continues to  push back the launch dates of its own Artemis lunar mission — due, ironically, to issues related to SpaceX — which will eventually see human boots on the Moon for the first time in more than half a century, the viability of these  incredibly expensive missions becomes all the more important.

With its  11 payloads — six from NASA and five from commercial clients — there’s clearly a lot riding on Odysseus. As such, the folks at Intuitive Machines are publicly optimistic about the lander’s chances.”

Read more:

SLIM Moon Lander Is ‘Asleep’ Again for the Lunar Night – Japanese Space Agency Will Try To Turn Spacecraft on Again in Two Weeks

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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