A U.S. company has gone to the moon – and creates a little piece of history
Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C cargo lander, named ‘Odysseus’ after the mythological Greek hero, is the first U.S. spacecraft to soft land on the lunar surface since 1972.
Japan, India and China have all had recent successful moon mission ahead of the U.S.
Intuitive Machines is the first company to pull off a moon landing – government agencies have carried out all previously successful missions.
The company’s stock surged in extended trading Thursday, after falling 11% in regular trading.
Lander visual
Hunt for water
The targeted landing site was a cratered terrain next to a 5km-high mountain complex known as Malapert. It’s the southernmost point on the Moon ever visited by a spacecraft.
It’s on the shortlist of locations where Nasa is considering sending astronauts later this decade as part of its Artemis programme.
It is reported that there are some deep craters in this region that never see any sunlight – they’re permanently in shadow – and scientists believe frozen water could be inside them.
Art illustration on Intuitive Machines luna lander
