Intuitive Machines, a private United States company from Texas, has achieved success in sending the unmanned spacecraft Odysseus to the Moon, marking the return to the lunar surface for American spacecraft after 51 years (last was Apollo 17 in 1972).
Founded in 2013 by former NASA engineers (including Stephen Altemus, former NASA engineering director), Intuitive Machines is a space-focused private company that generates revenue through NASA contracts and went public in 2022 with the abbreviation LUNR.
In 2019, Intuitive Machines was one of three companies contracted by NASA to deliver small payloads to the Moon under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, part of the Artemis program aiming to return to the Moon (others were Astrobotic and OrbitBeyond). Five years later, Intuitive Machines became the first company to successfully complete the mission.
The spacecraft Odysseus IM-1 traveled with SpaceX rocket and successfully landed on the Moon after an 8-day journey. Initially facing communication issues upon landing, backup systems on the spacecraft ensured successful confirmation of the landing and transmission back to Earth.
TLDR: Intuitive Machines successfully sent the spacecraft Odysseus to the Moon, marking America’s return to the lunar surface after 51 years.
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