Intuitive Machines makes history with the first American lunar landing in decades
Intuitive Machines hit a major milestone last week with the successful landing of the IM-1 mission on the lunar surface.
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The backstory: Intuitive Machines is a Houston-based company that started in 2013. And a year ago, the company made waves by going public. But the real rollercoaster started more recently. In January, its stock took a nosedive, only to shoot back up, more than tripling in value. Why the sudden surge? Financial experts are pointing fingers at Intuitive Machines' IM-1 mission, the startup's first mission to the moon. Intuitive Machines has set out 16 milestones for IM-1, with a successful lunar landing as the ultimate goal.
The Nova-C lander, also known as "Odysseus," took off last week from Florida atop SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. It's carrying a payload of 12 items, including six for NASA under a US$118 million contract. Though this mission is Intuitive Machines' brainchild, it falls under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.
More recently: Over the past year, there have been several attempts by different companies to land on the moon. For instance, Japanese company ispace tried its hand, but unfortunately, its spacecraft crashed during the final stages of the mission last year. Similarly, just last month, a US company named Astrobotic launched its first moon mission, but it faced issues shortly after liftoff, leading to a failed landing attempt.
Despite these setbacks, interest in lunar exploration is growing among governments and private companies. NASA plans more missions with US companies this year and China aims to send another lander in May. Japan also made history last month as the fifth country to successfully land on the moon, joining Russia, the US, China and India.
The development: Intuitive Machines hit a major milestone last week with the successful landing of the IM-1 mission on the lunar surface. This marks the first American lunar landing since the Apollo era, as the Nova-C cargo lander, affectionately called "Odysseus," is the first US spacecraft to make it to the moon's surface since 1972. It's a significant win, especially considering it's also the first time a private company has ever managed a lunar landing, a field previously dominated by government agencies.
Steve Altemus, CEO of Intuitive Machines, broke the news from mission control, confirming its touchdown on the moon. Despite a slight delay in confirming the landing, it soon announced the lander's safe arrival. Just two hours post-landing, Intuitive Machines said the lander was upright and transmitting data. This news sparked a surge in investor confidence, with the company's stock jumping over 15% on Friday.
Key comments:
"We are on the surface, and we are transmitting. Welcome to the moon," said Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus from mission control.
"What we can confirm, without a doubt, is that our equipment is on the surface of the moon and we are transmitting. So congratulations, IM-1," said Tim Crain, Intuitive Machines' CTO and IM-1 mission director. "Odysseus has found his new home."
"Success of every landing is never assured," said Joel Kearns, NASA's deputy associate administrator for exploration. "NASA is using CLPS to get our science investigations and technologies tests done on the moon surface and to develop a commercial community of robotic landing service providers for Artemis."
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