In a monumental leap for modern-day space exploration, a spacecraft developed and operated by Texas-based company Intuitive Machines successfully landed near the Moon's south pole on Thursday - marking the first American touchdown on the lunar surface in over 50 years.
The landing marked the first American mission to land on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972.
Additionally, the 14-foot-tall lander called Odysseus became the first private spacecraft ever to make a soft landing there.
NASA, with a suite of research instruments aboard the spacecraft, lauded the landing as a significant milestone in its endeavor to deploy a fleet of commercially operated spacecraft on scientific reconnaissance missions to the moon, laying the groundwork for a planned return of astronauts later in the decade.
Watch the moment unfold below:Taking to X, NASA administrator Bill Nelson tweeted: "Today, for the first time in half a century, America has returned to the Moon.
"On the eighth day of a quarter-million-mile voyage, @Int_Machines aced the landing of a lifetime. What a feat for IM, @SpaceX & @NASA. What a triumph for humanity. Odysseus has taken the Moon."
Nelson added in a further statement: "A commercial lander named Odysseus, powered by a company called Intuitive Machines, launched up on a Space X rocket, carrying a bounty of NASA scientific instruments and bearing the dream of a new adventure, a new adventure in science, innovation and American leadership, well, all of that aced the landing of a lifetime.
"Today for the first time in more than a half century, the U.S. has returned to the moon."
Despite being a private mission, NASA paid Intuitive Machines a whopping $118 million to deliver six instruments to the Moon, Yahoo News reports.
Mission director Tim Crain added, per Space.com: "Houston, Odysseus has found his new home."
Footage from control rooms shows applause breaking out as the landing was confirmed.
However, the excitement surrounding the achievement was tempered by initial communication challenges encountered following the landing, raising concerns about the potential impairment or obstruction of the vehicle.
The uncrewed Odysseus completed its historic descent at approximately 6:23PM EST (11:23PM GMT), as announced by Intuitive Machines and NASA commentators during a joint webcast of the landing from the company's mission operations center in Houston.
The landing itself was marked by a tense final approach and descent, during which an issue surfaced with the spacecraft's autonomous navigation system, prompting ground engineers to implement an untested workaround at the eleventh hour.
Following an anticipated radio blackout, it took some time to re-establish communications with the spacecraft and ascertain its status over 239,000 miles (384,000 km) away from Earth.
Upon re-establishing contact, albeit with a faint signal, mission control initially grappled with uncertainty regarding the precise condition and orientation of the vehicle.
"Our equipment is on the surface of the moon, and we are transmitting, so congratulations IM team," remarked Intuitive Machines mission director Tim Crain to the operations center. "We'll see what more we can get from that."
Subsequently, the company provided an update via X, confirming that flight controllers had verified Odysseus to be upright and initiating the transmission of data, signaling a promising start to the mission's next phase.
Since its launch on February 15, Odysseus embarked on a six-day journey to the Moon, carrying with it a payload of twelve instruments - six of which are NASA's own science and technology marvels. With a price tag of $118 million for the ride to the Moon, the telephone-booth-sized spacecraft has traveled over 620,000 miles in preparation for today's historic landing.
As the world awaits further developments from this historic lunar landing, the successful touchdown of Odysseus marks a pivotal moment in space exploration, underscoring the advancements made by the private sector in unlocking the mysteries of the cosmos.
Congratulations to everybody involved!
