News Excerpt:

Shortly after launching on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, Intuitive Machines' robotic Odysseus spacecraft took a few selfies with Earth in the background.

About moon lander Odysseus:

• This private “Odysseus” moon lander built by Houston-based Intuitive Machines was launched by SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
• The lander’s propulsion system is powered by a mixture of liquid methane and liquid oxygen.
• Odysseus, also known as the Nova-C lander, is carrying six NASA experiments and technology demonstrations, along with six private payloads, on its current IM-1 mission.
• If Odysseus completes its journey and soft lands on the Moon, it will make it the first privately-led mission to do so. 
• Israel’s Beresheet attempted in 2019, Japan’s Hakuto in 2023 and the American Peregrine in 2024. All of them failed to land on the Moon.
• The lander and its payloads are expected to function on the Moon for about seven days till the lunar night sets in. 
• Once it becomes night near the south pole of the Moon, where the spacecraft is planned to land, Odysseus will not be able to power itself and its scientific payloads.

About Intuitive Machines IM-1 mission:

• The IM-1 mission is the company’s first lunar landing attempt and part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services.

• The IM-1 mission carries Odysseus, the company’s Nova-C class lunar lander.
• It will provide insights into the lunar surface environment, paving the way for Starship’s Human Landing System, putting the first NASA Artemis astronauts on the Moon.