A Houston-based space exploration company could make history this week by not only marking America's return to the moon after decades, but landing on a region of the moon that has never been explored before.
Intuitive Machines expects its lunar lander, known as Odysseus, to land on the moon at 4:49 CT on Thursday, February 22.
The mission is Intuitive Machines' first attempted lunar landing as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. The primary objective is to deliver a variety of payloads to the moon's south pole region, a part of the moon that remains unexplored. NASA says the region holds promise for deep-space scientific discoveries, like discovering water ice on the moon.
The payloads include scientific instruments and technology demonstrations that aim to lay the foundation for future missions and a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface, Intuitive Machines said.
The mission aims to be the first U.S. vehicle to softly land on the lunar surface since Apollo 17 in 1972. Beyond that, if things go as planned, Odysseus will be the first spacecraft to ever land on the moon's south pole region, and Intuitive Machines will be the first private company to ever land on the moon.
"The significance of the IM-1 mission extends beyond the mere act of landing on the lunar surface," Intuitive Machines said in a statement. "The mission sets the stage for more ambitious endeavors, including the establishment of lunar bases and the exploration of potential resources. The data and insights gleaned from the IM-1 mission will potentially address the challenges of living and working on the moon, thus furthering humanity's dream of
becoming a multi-planetary species."
Odysseus was launched on Feb. 15 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Merritt Island, Florida. It is expected to land in Malapert A, a 69 km crater in the moon's south pole region. The nearby Malapert Massif is one of the 13 candidate regions being considered for NASA's Artemis III mission, which plans send humans back to the moon.
After touchdown, Intuitive Machines expects to operate payloads on the lunar surface for roughly seven days before the lunar night sets on the south pole of the moon, rendering Odysseus inoperable.
Lunar night refers to the period of darkness on the moon, a cycle that lasts approximately 14 days. During this time, temperatures on the moon's surface drop drastically, reaching as low as -279 degrees Fahrenheit. Intuitive Machines is currently working to develop a generator that could enable landers like Odysseus to survive the lunar night cycle, which could extend missions on the moon from weeks to several years.
"The ability to survive the lunar night is paramount to Intuitive Machines and the space exploration community," Trent Martin, Intuitive Machines Vice President of Space Systems, said in a statement. "NASA investing in mission longevity and the endurance of spacecraft paves the way for uninterrupted scientific exploration, enabling future robotic and human missions to unlock the mysteries of the lunar surface and propel humanity's presence in space to new frontiers."