A private American company attempted to reach the moon on Thursday, following a failed attempt by a competitor’s lunar lander the month before.

The primary funder of the experiments on board, NASA, is anticipating a prosperous moon landing next week in order to accelerate the growth of the lunar economy before astronaut missions commence.

The Falcon rocket from SpaceX launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center during the night, sending Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander on its journey to the moon, a distance of 230,000 miles (370,000 kilometers). The lander had a striking six-pointed star shape with legs that successfully detached from the upper stage and floated into the dark emptiness, with the Earth visible far below.

Assuming everything proceeds as planned, an attempt to land on the moon would take place on February 22nd, following a day spent in lunar orbit.

Reworded: Out of all countries, only the U.S., Russia, China, India, and Japan have successfully landed on the moon. However, no private company has achieved this feat yet. It has been over 50 years since the U.S. last landed on the moon’s surface during the Apollo program.

“Preparing for this has caused many sleepless nights,” stated Steve Altemus, co-founder and CEO of Intuitive Machines, prior to the launch.

The company located in Houston has the goal of landing its 14-foot (4.3-meter) tall, six-legged lander just 186 miles (300 kilometers) away from the moon’s south pole, which is comparable to landing in Antarctica on Earth. This area, known for its hazardous craters and cliffs, is also believed to contain frozen water and is the designated landing site for NASA’s astronauts in the coming years. The space agency has stated that its six navigation and technology experiments onboard the lander will aid in making the landing process easier.

NASA’s initial attempt at using a commercial lunar delivery service, specifically Astrobotic Technology’s Peregrine lander, encountered difficulties shortly after takeoff in January. A damaged fuel tank and significant leak resulted in the spacecraft missing the moon and instead re-entering the atmosphere after 10 days, ultimately disintegrating and burning up over the Pacific Ocean.

Before crashing, others successfully reached the moon.

In 2019, a lander belonging to an Israeli nonprofit organization experienced a crash. Then, in the following year, a Tokyo-based company’s lander also crashed on the moon, followed by a Russian crash landing.

The United States is the only country to have successfully sent astronauts to the moon, with Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt of Apollo 17 concluding the program in December 1972. There have been no further U.S. moon landings until Astrobotic’s recent attempt, which was not successful.

The lander created by Intuitive Machines was given the moniker of Homer’s legendary character from “The Odyssey.”

“May the gods be with you, Odysseus. Let us now embark on our journey to make history,” expressed Trent Martin, the vice president of space systems.

Intuitive Machines has been awarded $118 million by NASA to transport their newest experiments to the moon. The company has also gained other customers, such as Columbia Sportswear, who will be utilizing a metallic jacket fabric as a thermal insulator on the lander, and sculptor Jeff Koons, who will be sending up figurines of the moon measuring 125 inches in a transparent cube.

The lander is also equipped with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s Eaglecam, which will take photos of the lander during its descent.

After a week on the surface, the spacecraft will stop functioning.

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Source: wral.com