The American lunar probe, built by Intuitive Machines, based in Houston, Texas, entered lunar orbit yesterday. The vehicle is expected to land on the Moon this Thursday, February 22, at 17:49 EST (22:49 GMT) near the Moon's south pole. If everything goes according to plan, Intuitive Machines will become the first private company to reach the Moon, UNN reports with reference to Space.
Context
It's been 50 years since the moon has seen an American spacecraft on its soil. In recent decades, the United States has remained cautious about Earth's natural satellite, although China, Japan, India, and Russia have recently sent robots there (which may or may not have crashed).
In 2019, NASA detailed the launch of its new Artemis program. The goal was to send humans to the moon by 2025, but the US space agency had to revise its forecasts and postpone the new human footing on the planet until 2027 or 2028. The next step is to land a lander near the potentially water-rich south pole of the Moon.
Details
Last week, the Nova-C lunar probe, dubbed Odysseus, was launched from Florida, where a number of NASA scientific experiments are planned to be carried out. On February 21, the spacecraft entered orbit at an altitude of 57 miles (92 km) above the lunar surface. The lunar landing attempt is scheduled to take place on Thursday at 16:49 (22:49 GMT) in the Malapert A crater, near the lunar south pole.
If the landing is successful, the IM-1 mission will be the first controlled descent of a U.S. spacecraft to the lunar surface since Apollo 17, when NASA's lunar probe with Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt landed there in 1972.
It will also be the first "soft landing" of a commercial vehicle on the Moon and the first landing under NASA's Artemis lunar program.
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Why was this location chosen for the IM-1 mission
Malapert A crater was not Odyssey's original destination. The spacecraft was originally planned to land in Oceanus Procellarum, the largest basalt plain, also known as the lunar sea, located on the western edge of the visible side of the Moon
However, Malapert A is a relatively flat and safe region located in the southern highlands with many craters on the side of the moon visible from Earth, according to a statement from NASA, which announced the new landing site in May 2023.
The decision to move from the original landing site to Oceanus Procellarum was based on the need to learn more about the terrain and communications near the lunar south pole, which is expected to be one of the best places for a long-term human presence on the Moon
The landing near Malapert A crater gives Odyssey the opportunity to better manage the risks of future landings on Artemis and collect data on the lunar environment throughout the region. It will also help mission planners understand how to communicate and send data to Earth from a location that is low on the lunar horizon.
To watch the lunar landing live, you should tune in to the broadcast on the night of Thursday to Friday (at approximately 00:40) on the NASA web channel or on the YouTube channel of the aerospace company Intuitive Machines.
Recall
NASA's new Earth observation satellite PACE was successfully launched into orbit to study ocean conditions, air quality, and the effects of climate change.
Lockheed Martin and NASA are planning to introduce the X-59 aircraft, which is capable of flying at 1.5 times the speed of soundand reduced sound noise, which could reduce flight time.