Lunar lander launched by SpaceX shoots back epic images of Earth on its way to the Moon
SpaceX’s Falcon 9 launched Houston-based company Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lunar lander on February 15 and now the lander has snapped some awesome images of Earth on its way to the surface of the Moon.
The Odysseus lunar lander completed two engine burns in deep space on February 16 and February 18, and according to reports from Intuitive Machines the lander is currently on track to reach the surface of the Moon on February 22. The next challenge for Intuitive Machines is to successfully place the Odysseus into “lunar orbit insertion,” which is when the lander will fire up its engines and place itself in orbit around the Moon. This event is expected to take place on February 21.
Intuitive Machines is targeting a small crater approximately 190 miles from the Moon’s south pole. This location isn’t irrelevant as its about the same location as where NASA intends to land astronauts under its Artemis program, specifically Artemis 3 which is expected to make its landing sometime in 2026. Odysseus is bringing six NASA instruments to the lunar surface which will gather data on a variety of different aspects of not only the landing but also the lunar surface.
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4If Intuitive Machines can successfully land Odysseus on February 22 it will become the first private moon lander to reach the surface of the Moon.