NEW DELHI: The private spacecraft Odysseus, launched by Houston-based company Intuitive Machines on February 15 aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket, has released the first photos from its final frontier.
“Intuitive Machines successfully transmitted its first IM-1 mission image to Earth on February 16, 2024. The image was Intuitive Machines’ first trip to the moon under @NASA’s CLPS initiative. “Photographed shortly after separation from @SpaceX’s second stage,” an aerospace official said. The company told X.
Odysseus, also known as the Nova-C lander, is the ongoing IM-1 mission carrying six experiments and technology demonstrations from NASA and six civilian payloads. These instruments will collect valuable data for NASA’s Artemis mission, which aims to establish a manned base near the moon’s south pole by 2030.
Odysseus will utilize a combination of liquid methane and liquid oxygen, the same propellants used in SpaceX’s Raptor engine. These engines will power the company’s Starship rocket, which is being developed for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
Odysseus is well on its way to its destination, but this is not the first time a CLPS effort has been launched. Pittsburgh-based company Astrobotic launched the lunar lander Peregrine on United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket.
Although the launch itself was a success, Peregrine encountered a fuel leak shortly after separating from the top of the rocket and was unable to reach the moon. The spacecraft was then destroyed in Earth’s atmosphere on January 18th.
, Odysseus is currently in perfect condition and maintains communication with mission control as it approaches its destination. Intuitive Machines has scheduled a touchdown attempt on February 22nd.
“Intuitive Machines flight controllers successfully ignited the liquid methane and liquid oxygen engines for the first time in space, completing commissioning of the IM-1 mission engine. Included were main-stage engine combustion and throttle-down profiles,” the company said in the X-Post.
(With opinions from agents)
“Intuitive Machines successfully transmitted its first IM-1 mission image to Earth on February 16, 2024. The image was Intuitive Machines’ first trip to the moon under @NASA’s CLPS initiative. “Photographed shortly after separation from @SpaceX’s second stage,” an aerospace official said. The company told X.
Odysseus, also known as the Nova-C lander, is the ongoing IM-1 mission carrying six experiments and technology demonstrations from NASA and six civilian payloads. These instruments will collect valuable data for NASA’s Artemis mission, which aims to establish a manned base near the moon’s south pole by 2030.
Odysseus will utilize a combination of liquid methane and liquid oxygen, the same propellants used in SpaceX’s Raptor engine. These engines will power the company’s Starship rocket, which is being developed for future missions to the Moon and Mars.
Odysseus is well on its way to its destination, but this is not the first time a CLPS effort has been launched. Pittsburgh-based company Astrobotic launched the lunar lander Peregrine on United Launch Alliance’s Vulcan Centaur rocket.
Although the launch itself was a success, Peregrine encountered a fuel leak shortly after separating from the top of the rocket and was unable to reach the moon. The spacecraft was then destroyed in Earth’s atmosphere on January 18th.
, Odysseus is currently in perfect condition and maintains communication with mission control as it approaches its destination. Intuitive Machines has scheduled a touchdown attempt on February 22nd.
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(With opinions from agents)