Houston, Texas – NASA’s Artemis program, aimed at returning astronauts to the moon, has faced various setbacks. The most recent one was the delay of two landmark flights due to technical issues. However, there is hope as Intuitive Machines, based in Houston, is planning to launch its spacecraft to the moon early on Wednesday.
If successful, this will mark the first commercial spacecraft landing on the lunar surface for the United States since 1972. The lander, called Odysseus, is targeting the moon’s south pole, an area of particular interest to NASA due to the presence of water in the form of ice in its permanently shadowed craters.
While the spacecraft is owned by Intuitive Machines, it will carry several science experiments for NASA. The agency is paying the company $118 million for this mission. This is part of NASA’s $2.6 billion program to send robotic spacecraft to the moon over the next few years, operated by private industry to support the agency’s efforts to land astronauts there.
This mission showcases the increasing role of the commercial space industry in space exploration. NASA now relies on private contractors not only for cargo and astronaut transport to the International Space Station but also for developing spacecraft for lunar missions and the spacesuits for astronauts. The agency also looks to the private sector to build habitats that could eventually replace the space station in Earth’s orbit.
A successful lunar landing by a commercial vehicle would be a significant milestone for private enterprise in space exploration. It is a step towards opening up new economic and scientific opportunities on and around the moon.
The Artemis program has had some recent setbacks, with delays in planned flights to orbit and land on the moon. Astronauts were scheduled to fly around the moon in the Orion spacecraft later this year, but this has now been delayed to September 2025 due to heat shield issues. Additionally, the flight to transport astronauts to the lunar surface has been pushed back to no earlier than September 2026 due to delays in the development of the Starship spacecraft and spacesuits by private companies.
Despite these setbacks, Intuitive Machines is confident in its spacecraft’s capabilities and readiness for its upcoming mission to the moon. The company is set to launch the Odysseus lander using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and undertake a series of complex maneuvers along the way to reach and land on the lunar surface.
The mission will not only carry scientific payloads for NASA, including capturing images of the dust plume kicked up by the spacecraft’s engines, but also a camera system designed by university students and faculty to take images during the landing sequence. This mission represents a significant step in the ongoing efforts to explore and understand the lunar environment.