On February 22, NASA science instruments and technology on board Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander, called Odysseus, landed on the Moon’s South Pole region, marking the United States’ first return since Apollo 17. This was also the first landing as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative — transmitting valuable science data of each NASA payload from the lunar surface.
Additional updates can be found by watching the news conference here:
NASA and Intuitive Machines give an update from Johnson Space Center in Houston to highlight the company’s first mission, known as IM-1.
The lander, called Odysseus, carried six NASA science instruments to the South Pole region of the Moon as part of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, and Artemis campaign. The IM-1 mission is the first U.S. soft landing on the Moon in more than 50 years, successfully landing on February 22, 2024.
Participants in the news conference include:
- Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator, Exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington
- Sue Lederer, CLPS project scientist, NASA Johnson
- Steve Altemus, chief executive officer and co-founder, Intuitive Machines
- Tim Crain, chief technology officer and co-founder, Intuitive Machines