Published on 23 Feb 2024 on Benzinga
Intuitive Machines-Built Odysseus Achieves First US Soft Landing On Moon Since 1972, NASA Chief...
The United States has made a triumphant return to the moon, thanks to a successful landing by a private spacecraft. The robotic lander, Odysseus, built by Houston-based company Intuitive Machines Inc LUNR, touched down near the lunar south pole on Thursday evening.
What Happened: This marks a significant milestone in space exploration, as no private spacecraft had ever soft-landed on the moon before. The last American vehicle to achieve a soft landing on the moon was NASA’s crewed Apollo 17 lander in December 1972, reported Space.com.