On February 22, Eastern time, the landing vehicle "Odysseus" developed by the private American company "Intuitive Machine" landed on the moon, which was the first US spacecraft to land on the moon in 50 years, and the first successful landing on the moon by a private company. This achievement not only demonstrated the strength and potential of the United States in commercial space, but also ushered in a new era of space exploration, laying the foundation for the Artemis moon landing and the human moon landing in the United States.
Odysseus is hexagonal, 4 meters tall and 1.7 meters long, with six landing legs, carrying NASA's various scientific research equipment and commercial payloads, and about 1,900 kilograms of fuel when fully loaded. The shuttle was carried by SpaceX's Falcon 9 of Florida on February 15 and circled space for a week before landing on Malapt-A crater near the South Pole.
The primary mission of the Odysseus spacecraft is to fund NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Program (CLPS) program, which aims to support the U.S. Artemis moon landing program by delivering equipment and equipment to the moon at a lower cost**. The Odysseus is equipped with an infrared thermal imager to measure the temperature of the lunar surface, a magnetometer to detect the lunar surface, a radiometer to detect lunar radiation, and a robotic arm to collect lunar samples. The Odysseus spacecraft also carries a number of commercial cargo, which includes some memorabilia, artworks, educational programs, scientific research projects, and a number of instruments that will be used in future lunar explorations.
Odysseus' journey to the moon was not smooth, and due to the failure of its automatic navigation device, its trajectory deviated from its intended trajectory, so local engineers had to resort to an untested method to repair it. In addition to this, the communication on the "Odysseus" spacecraft was also cut off for a period of time, and the communication of "Odysseus" was also cut off for a long time. However, with great effort, "Odysseus" finally landed on the moon and sent the ** with the earth back to the ground.
The landing of Odysseus on the moon was a huge leap forward for both private American companies and the American space industry. This means that private companies in the United States have enough strength to bring goods to the moon and make American"Artemis"The moon landing project has become more feasible. The United States announced it in 2020"Artemis"The goal of the lunar landing project is to achieve a manned landing on the moon by 2024 and build a sustainable lunar base in 2028, laying a solid foundation for future Mars exploration.
The landing of Odysseus on the moon also marked an important step forward for mankind in the field of astronautics. The "Lunar Exploration Project" is a long-term strategic plan, which aims to build a stable society suitable for human society, give full play to its own advantages and advantages, and create more possibilities for future development and life.
All in all, the first moon landing by a private American company opened up a new avenue for the Artemis moon landing in the United States and the exploration of humans on the moon. While we are happy, we should also maintain a high degree of vigilance, continue to improve the level and quality of China's space exploration, and make more contributions to mankind's space industry.