Intuitive Machines-Built Odysseus Achieves First US Soft Landing On Moon Since 1972, NASA Chief Says, 'Giant Leap Forward For All Of Humanity'

The United States has made a triumphant return to the moon, thanks to a successful landing by a private spacecraft. The robotic lander, Odysseus, built by Houston-based company Intuitive Machines Inc LUNR, touched down near the lunar south pole on Thursday evening.

What Happened: This marks a significant milestone in space exploration, as no private spacecraft had ever soft-landed on the moon before. The last American vehicle to achieve a soft landing on the moon was NASA’s crewed Apollo 17 lander in December 1972, reported Space.com.

“What a triumph! Odysseus has taken the moon,” said NASA Administrator Bill Nelson in a video message aired shortly after the successful touchdown. “This feat is a giant leap forward for all of humanity. Stay tuned!”

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The lunar landing is part of a broader program called Artemis, initiated by NASA, which aims to establish a long-term, sustainable human presence on and around the moon by the end of the 2020s. The program also plans to use the knowledge gained to help get astronauts to Mars by the late 2030s or early 2040s.

Intuitive Machines was selected by NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program in 2019 to deliver a batch of NASA science instruments to the lunar surface using the company’s Nova-C lander, Odysseus. The mission, worth $118 million, covered the transport of six agency experiments and technology demonstrations.

The successful landing of Odysseus is a significant step towards the development of a lunar economy, as stated by Sue Lederer, CLPS project scientist at Johnson Space Center in Houston, during a press conference on Feb. 12.

Why It Matters: The journey of Intuitive Machines to the moon was not without its challenges. The launch of the Nova-C lunar lander was initially postponed due to a technical issue related to methane temperatures, as reported on Valentine’s Day.

However, the company successfully launched the lander on SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida the following day.

As the mission progressed, Intuitive Machines provided updates, including the successful lunar orbit insertion burn of Odysseus.

Price Action: Intuitive Machines shares soared 41.3% to $11.75 in the after-hours trading. The shares closed 11.16% lower at $8.28 in regular trading on Thursday, according to Benzinga Pro data.

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