by A private moon mission that could make history is underway.
Odysseus, a robotic lunar lander built by Houston-based company Intuitive Machines, lifted off a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) in Florida early this morning (February 15).
If all goes as planned, Odysseus will touch down near the moon’s south pole on February 22, becoming the first private spacecraft ever to land on the moon. The success would also be a big help for the United States, which has not been to the lunar surface since NASA’s Apollo 17 mission more than half a century ago.
“It’s a very humbling moment for all of us at Intuitive Machines,” said Trent Martin, the company’s vice president of space systems, during a pre-launch press conference on Tuesday (February 13).
“The opportunity to return the United States to the moon for the first time since 1972 requires a hunger to explore, and that is at the heart of everyone at Intuitive Machines,” he said.
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Smooth launch (and rocket landing)
The Falcon 9 lifted off from KSC Pad 39A today at 1:05 am EST (0605 GMT). About 7.5 minutes later, the first stage of the rocket came back to Earth for a vertical touchdown at the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, which is near the NASA site.
It was the 18th launch and landing for this particular booster, according to SpaceX’s mission description. That’s just one short of the company’s reuse record, which it set last December.
Meanwhile, the Falcon 9’s upper stage continued to propel its way into the sky, sending Odysseus into a lunar transition orbit about 48.5 minutes after its planned launch.
The 1,490-pound (675-kilogram) lander — which is about the size of a British telephone booth (or the TARDIS craft in “Dr. Who,” if you’re a sci-fi fan) — made its first contact with mission control a few minutes later.
Odysseus will soon begin to make his way around the moon, a journey that will take him a day. Odysseus will then make his historic landing attempt, which will take place at Malapert A, a small crater about 190 miles (300 kilometers) from the moon’s south pole.
NASA will watch the touchdown attempt with particular interest, as the space agency has a lot riding on Odysseus and its current mission, known as IM-1.
Clear the way for Artemis astronaut lunar missions
NASA booked a trip on IM-1 through its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which seeks to leverage the ability of private American robotic landers to more cost-effectively retrieve agency science equipment.
These instruments are designed to collect data that will help NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to establish a crewed base near the moon’s south pole by the late 2020s. This region is thought to be rich in water ice, which could support Artemis astronauts on the surface and process it into rocket propellant, allowing crews to refuel spacecraft from Earth.
Odysseus is carrying six NASA instruments on IM-1, which were put on board through a NASA contract worth $118 million. It cost the agency an additional $11 million to develop and build the scientific hardware, NASA officials said.
Here is a brief summary of those NASA science instruments:
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ROLSES (Radio Observations of the Lunar Surface Photoelectron Sheath) will characterize the electron and radio plasma environments near the IM-1 landing site;
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LRA (Laser Retro-Reflector Array), a small array of reflectors, will act as a guidepost to help future landers make precise touchdowns on the moon;
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NDL (Navigation Doppler Lidar for Precise Velocity and Range Sensing) will use LIDAR (light detection and ranging) technology to collect high-precision data during the Odyssey approach and landing;
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SCALPSS (Stereo Cameras for Lunar Surface Studies) will study how Odysseus’ exhaust plume interacts with lunar dirt and rocks during landing, gathering data that could inform future Artemis lander designs;
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LN-1 (Lunar Navigational Demonstrator Node 1), a small radio navigation beacon, will demonstrate autonomous spacecraft positioning technology, which could assist future lunar rovers and landers and eventually become part of a larger GPS system on the moon and around him;
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RFMG (Radio Frequency Mass Meter Statement) will use radio waves to measure the amount of fuel left in Odysseus’ tank – something that is difficult to do in a microgravity environment.
Odysseus is carrying six commercial payloads for various customers, including Columbia Sportswear, which will test its “Omni-Heat Infinity” insulation material on IM-1.
Other private payloads include a series of sculptures by artist Jeff Koons and a “lunar safe depository,” which aims to help protect all human knowledge should something terrible happen here on Earth.
EagleCam is also flying on IM-1, built by students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. This camera system will be used by Odysseus as it approaches the surface of the moon and attempts to photograph the landing of the lander.
You can learn more about all of the IM-1 payloads through the Intuitive Machines press kit, which you can find here.
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Second trial at 1st moon
IM-1 is not the first CLPS attempt to launch towards the moon. Astrobotic’s Falcon Lander did so on January 8, taking off on the initial mission aboard United Launch Alliance’s new Vulcan Centaur rocket.
That launch was a success, but Peregrine suffered a devastating fuel leak shortly after being deployed from the rocket’s upper stage. After a long enough saga, the lunar lander completed a controlled destruction in the Earth’s atmosphere on January 18.
As Peregrine’s example shows, doing a lunar mission is always a tall order — especially for a private spacecraft. As such, there is no absolute guarantee that Odysseus will succeed, especially this early in the game. NASA has tapped Intuitive Machines for two additional lunar missions after this one, and the agency plans to place payloads on commercial landers in the future as well.
“We’ve always looked at these initial CLPS deliveries as kind of a learning experience, where we’re all going to learn and react to how they go,” Joel Kearns, associate deputy administrator for Exploration, Science Mission Directorate at NASA headquarters, said during a teleconference on Tuesday.
“We are learning from all efforts – not only ours in the United States, but we are also watching the efforts that some of our allies are making, and some of our competitors,” he said.
Note to the editor: This story was updated at 2:15 a.m. ET on February 15 with news of a successful spacecraft deployment.
