“Odysseus stole the moon,” says Nasa.
“What a victory,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a post-landing message.
“Odysseus took the moon. This feat is a great step forward for all of humanity.”
Today, for the first time in more than half a century, the United States returned to the moon. Today, for the first time in human history, an American commercial enterprise set out to lead the voyage there. And today is a day that showcases the power and promise of NASA's commercial partnerships. Congratulations to everyone at Intuitive Machines, SpaceX, and here at NASA on this great and daring quest.
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Scorpius Space Launch Company (SSLC) employees, their families, and guests who were watching the landing from Torrance, California, cheered when they heard the news of the touchdown.
The lander used SSLC's next-generation fuel tank for the lunar mission.
This is a frame grab from NASA showing Scorpius Space Launch Company (SSLC) employees and guests reacting in Torrance, California. Photo: NASA/AFP/Getty Images
NASA and Intuitive Machines celebrate moon landing
Still, NASA and Intuitive Machines will be celebrating this accomplishment.
Odysseus is the first American spacecraft to accomplish such a feat since 1972.
Of course, the flight controller isn't finished yet. They will continue to gather more information to determine how Odysseus landed, its current status, and whether it can accomplish its mission.
“Odysseus stole the moon,” says Nasa.
“What a victory,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said in a post-landing message.
“Odysseus took the moon. This feat is a great step forward for all of humanity.”
Today, for the first time in more than half a century, the United States returned to the moon. Today, for the first time in human history, an American commercial enterprise set out to lead the voyage there. And today is a day that showcases the power and promise of NASA's commercial partnerships. Congratulations to everyone at Intuitive Machines, SpaceX, and here at NASA on this great and daring quest.
Flight controllers continue to work to obtain further information.
Nevertheless, Odysseus appears to be the first American-built mission to land on the moon in more than half a century.
Odysseus is on the moon…
“We're on the ground,” said Chief Technology Officer Tim Crane, who heads up air traffic control. “Odysseus has a new home.”
Odysseus may have crashed…or there may be communication issues. Flight controllers are still trying to figure it out.
“We are not dead yet,'' was the message from the air traffic controller.
We are still waiting for confirmation. Controllers are reviewing the latest data obtained from the lander. There may be a communication problem.
The scheduled landing time has been reached…but we are waiting for confirmation.
The “hazard avoidance” process has begun. The lander is 1000 meters above the ground.
The lander will autonomously decide where to land. I'm less than a minute away.
Odysseus lander is about to land
The mission director tells us we have three minutes until touchdown.
There may be some delay between the lander's contact with the surface and confirmation. This delay can be as little as 15 seconds to several minutes.
It's a reminder that no human decision is made about where to land. The lander's autonomous systems are scanning the surface looking for the best place to land.
The lander is transmitting data to scientists in the control room.
So far, everything seems to be going well, as the lander continues to slow down in preparation for its vertical descent.
