This is the dramatic moment an American rocket blasts off towards the moon for the first time in 52 years.
Intuitive Machines, a private Houston-based company, launched its first lunar lander to the Moon from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on Thursday morning.
The Nova-C Odysseus lander lifted off at 6.05am UK time from SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket and is aiming to touch down near the South Pole of the Moon on 22 February.
If all goes to plan, it will mark the first time a private firm has landed a spacecraft on the Moon.
If successful, it will mark the first time a private spacecraft has landed on the moon
X/SpaceX
Intuitive Machines’ co-founder and chief executive Steve Altemus said “there have been a lot of sleepless nights getting ready for this” in the minutes before lift-off.
The company’s vice president of lunar access Trent Martin was responsible for the countdown as the launch went off on time.
He said: “Godspeed, Odysseus. Now let’s go make history.”
Applause could be heard from the control room as the spacecraft achieved second-stage engine cutoff.
The successful launch comes one month after another US spacecraft, Peregrine, failed to touch down following a fuel leak.
The failure of Peregrine, operated by US company Astrobotic, marked the third time a private company had been unable to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface.
Landing on the Moon is devilishly difficult, hence why only US, Russia, India, China and Japan have pulled it off all attempts by private companies have failed so far.
The Beresheet lander, built by Israel’s SpaceIL, crashed during descent in 2019, while the Hakuto-R M1 lander, from Japanese company ispace, was destroyed while attempting to land in April last year.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with its Crew Dragon capsule launches from pad LC-39A during Axiom Mission Three (Ax-3) at the Kennedy Space CenterGETTY
The Odysseus has a sophisticated design. Onboard the lander are 12 payloads, which includes a Nasa instrument known as Scalpss (Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies) – a four-camera system which aims to capture Odysseus’s descent to the lunar surface.
The lander will also be carrying a sculpture – called Moon Phases – by American artist Jeff Koons.
Odysseus will be insulated with a lightweight fabric – a shimmery gold material that normally lines the insides of ski jackets – made by US sports apparel company Columbia Sportswear.
Dr. Thomas Hughes is a UK-based scientist and science communicator who makes complex topics accessible to readers. His articles explore breakthroughs in various scientific disciplines, from space exploration to cutting-edge research.
