On February 23, comprehensive US media reported that on the 22nd local time, the lunar lander "Odysseus" developed by the American "Intuitive Machine" company landed on the moon.
Screenshot of NBC report.
According to NBC, this is the first time that a U.S. spacecraft has landed on the moon in more than 50 years.
The lander, developed by the Intuition Machine, reportedly landed on the surface of the moon at around 6:23 p.m. ET. The lander was the first U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
CNN reported that Steve Artemos, CEO of the Intuition Machine, announced during a webcast that Odysseus was emitting signals on the surface of the moon. "I know it's nerve-wracking, but we're transmitting signals. Welcome to the Moon. ”
The exact status of the lander is unknown, the report said. However, the company confirmed that it had been contacted.
It was previously reported that "Odysseus" was launched from Florida on February 15 and is a hexagonal cylinder with a height of 4 meters and a width of 1At 57 meters, with six landing legs, it carries a variety of NASA scientific instruments and commercial payloads, and weighs about 1,900 kilograms when fully loaded with propellant.
According to NASA's official website, the objectives of the mission include studying the interaction between the lander's engine plume and the lunar surface, radio astronomy, the interaction between space weather and the lunar surface, the lander's precision landing technology, and communication and navigation capabilities.