US moon landing 2024 LIVE — Odysseus spacecraft lands near lunar south pole for first time since Apollo mission
A SPACECRAFT from the United States has landed on the moon for the first time since the historic Apollo mission in 1972.
The private lunar lander, called Odysseus, touched down at 6:23 pm ET, six days after it blasted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida.
The successful 620,000-mile journey and landing marked the first time the United States has returned to the moon in over 50 years.
Owned by Texas-based Intuitive Machines, the uncrewed craft was carrying NASA instruments that will help prepare the US for future human exploration of the lunar surface.
NASA's mission commanders called the landing a "nail-biter" as they were hit with communication issues during touchdown.
However, they eventually announced that Odysseus "found his new home" and welcomed the craft to the moon.
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NASA celebrates moon landing
NASA has taken to X, formerly known as Twitter to cleverly celebrate the Odysseus spacecraft's landing on the moon.
The Odysseus spacecraft has landed!
History has been made!
This is the first United States moon landing in over 50 years.
No humans are on the spacecraft, as NASA sent scientific instruments as part of a commercial mission.
The spacecraft is transmitting signals.
Still waiting on confirmation
NASA is waiting to hear confirmation that the Odysseus spacecraft has landed near the lunar south pole of the moon.
It is being reported they are receiving a faint signal from Odysseus' high antenna.
10 minutes remain!
In about 10 minutes the Odysseus spacecraft will land near the lunar south pole today in the first attempt since Apollo.
10 minutes until landingCredit: Youtube Less than an hour to go
The Odysseus will be landing in less than an hour.
Flight controllers are currently preparing for the landing.
Flight controllers are preparing for landing
Flight controllers are preparing for the IM-1 mission.
This is one of the first under Artemis.
The first moon missions
The first spacecraft to reach the Moon was in 1959, as part of the Soviet Union's Lunar program.
The first manned orbital mission was Nasa's Apollo 8 in 1968.
The first manned lunar landing happened in 1969, as part of the Apollo 11 mission.
Moon landing happening soon
The landing is meant to happen within the next 20 minutes.
NASA is live streaming the major event.
Moon landing happening soon
The landing is meant to happen within the next 20 minutes.
NASA is live streaming the major event.
Time of landing updated again
The landing time was first scheduled for 6:24 pm ET, according to an update from Intuitive Machines.
The business later said the landing would be at 5:30 pm, then again rescheduled to 5:49 pm.
Then, according to a more recent update, it was moved forward to 4:24 pm, possibly because the spacecraft ended up traveling faster than expected and in a lower orbit than originally planned.
The decision was made by flight controllers to make one more lunar orbit before making a landing.
More moon facts
Below are some more interesting facts about the Moon:
- The Moon is believed to have formed around 4.51billion years ago
- The strength of the Moon's gravitational field is about a sixth of Earth's gravity
- Earth and the Moon have "synchronous rotation," which means we always see the same side of the Moon
Moon temperature and initial theories
Temperatures on the Moon range from minus 173 degrees Celsius to 260 degrees Celsius.
Experts initially believed the Moon was another planet, until Nicolaus Copernicus outlined his theory about our Solar System in 1543.
The moon was eventually assigned to a "class" after Galileo discovered four moons orbiting Jupiter in 1610.
Moon facts
Below are some interesting moon facts:
- The Moon is a natural satellite — a space-faring body that orbits a planet
- It is Earth's only natural satellite, and the fifth biggest in the Solar System
- The Moon measures 2,158 miles across, which is roughly 0.27 times the diameter of Earth
A slew of robotic missions
Since then, only China, India, and Japan have reached this same accomplishment.
For the first time in the 21st century, all three traveled to the moon in robotic vehicles.
The feats were accomplished by Japan and India in the last six months alone, long after the US-Soviet space competition had ended.
The US is still the only nation to have sent people to the moon, most recently with the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
Bringing the heat
The sun will be up at Malapert A by the time Odysseus arrives, which contributes to the mission's shortened timeline.
Radiators integrated into the spacecraft are supposed to keep it from overheating because during the day, the landing site sizzles at around 212 degrees Fahrenheit (100 degrees Celsius), says.
Mission is limited
Odysseus is not equipped with any heaters on board.
This means that the electronics will not survive through the night.
Experts have predicted that observations will continue until sometime after sunset.
More on the mission
Odysseus launched from Earth on February 15, in a six-day trip to the moon.
The craft is carrying 12 payloads, six of them being NASA science and technology instruments, according to .
The spacecraft then performed maneuvers yesterday which put it in a circular orbit around the moon.
About Malapert A
Odysseus would aim for a landing spot the size of an American football field because Malapert A is comparatively level and safe to land on, according to Jack Burns, the principal investigator for one of the instruments onboard Odie, per .
The spacecraft will mostly use onboard navigation software and real-time imagery during descent to modify its speed and softly touch down close to the crater.
"It's a new place to land," Burns told the outlet. "I think Intuitive Machines has done everything it can to prepare."
Original landing location changed
The second location selected for Odysseus's expedition, known as IM-1, was Malapert A, according to .
First, there was one in Oceanus Procellarum, the largest lunar basaltic plain and possible landing location for NASA's Artemis program, which aims to send humans back to the moon for the first time since the Apollo era.
However, due to concerns about polluting the area in the event that Odysseus crashed, Intuitive Machines relocated the landing place to Malapert A last year.
"Landing near Malapert A also will help mission planners understand how to communicate and send data back to Earth from a location that is low on the lunar horizon," NASA said in a .
Recently failed attempts made
After a propellant leak destroyed the Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic's Peregrine lander during its launch last month, it crashed down to Earth.
Both the Japanese Hakuto-R and Israeli Beresheet spacecraft crashed during their attempts to land on the moon in April 2023 and April 2019 respectively, after reaching lunar orbit.
Where the spacecraft is set to land
Odysseus is scheduled to land on the rim of Malapert A, a small crater located approximately 190 miles (300 km) from the lunar south pole on the side facing Earth if all proceeds as planned today.
Since no private probe has ever made a soft landing on the moon, success would be historic.
How to watch the moon landing attempt
Viewers can the attempt on NASA's YouTube.
Coverage will begin at 4 pm EST (9 pm GMT).
Spacecraft experienced issue after liftoff
Odie was launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center on February 15.
Employees at Intuitive Machines have been keeping an eye on Odysseus for the entire time, putting in eight-hour shifts.
Soon after takeoff, the lander encountered a , but this was resolved by a software update.
Since then, Odie has carried on with its mission to reach the moon, taking pictures of both the Earth and the moon along the route.
On Wednesday, the spacecraft started to circle the moon.
Putting distance into perspective
The distance to the Moon from Earth can change depending on where it is in orbit.
The Moon is around 252,088 miles (405,696 km) away from Earth at its furthest point, which astronomers called the "apogee."
The Moon is about 225,623 miles (363,104 km) from the Earth when its at its closest point, which is referred to as the "preigee."
Potentially the first vehicle on moon in 50 years
Should the mission succeed, it would be the first American vehicle to land on the moon in over half a century; should it not, Odie would be the third lunar lander to perish on the moon in less than a year.
In the 21st century, only China, India, and Japan sent robotic vehicles to land on the moon.
The private company's website will begin to stream live coverage of the historic event at approximately 4 pm ET.