Produced by: Tarun Mishra
Intuitive Machines' inaugural lunar lander mission achieved a significant milestone on February 21 as it successfully entered orbit around the moon, setting the stage for an impending landing attempt. Nova-C lander will land on the lunar south pole, close to ISRO's Chandrayaan-3, which made a touchdown on Moon in August 2023.
The Nova-C lander, known as Odysseus, executed a 408-second burn of its main engine, maneuvering the spacecraft into a circular orbit positioned at an altitude of 92 kilometers. This critical operation altered the spacecraft's velocity by 800 meters per second, boasting an accuracy of 2 meters per second.
Preceding the insertion burn, the spacecraft underwent two trajectory correction maneuvers to refine its path towards the moon.
The lander's engine, fueled by liquid oxygen and methane propellants, underwent its first in-space test during a commissioning maneuver on February 16. The successful completion of this test bolstered confidence in the engine's capability to facilitate a soft landing.
With the spacecraft now securely in lunar orbit, Intuitive Machines is preparing for a landing attempt scheduled for February 22 near the Malapert A crater in the moon's south polar region. The landing time was adjusted to 5:30 p.m. Eastern following a thorough analysis of post-Lunar Orbit Insertion engine burn data.
The IM-1 mission, valued at $118 million under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, carries six NASA payloads alongside additional payloads for non-NASA customers. Intuitive Machines anticipates operating the spacecraft for approximately one-week post-landing, pending a successful touchdown.
If the landing proves successful, Intuitive Machines will mark a significant milestone as the first non-governmental entity to achieve a soft landing on the moon. Previous attempts by other private entities, such as Israel's SpaceIL and Japan's ispace, ended in unsuccessful landings.
Despite the positive development, shares of Intuitive Machines experienced a notable decline of 15% on the Nasdaq exchange, including a sharp drop during the anticipated orbital insertion time. Nevertheless, the company's shares remain substantially elevated, reflecting investor optimism surrounding the mission's progress.