Commercial Lunar Payload Services

In a poignant moment captured amid the vastness of space, the Odysseus moon lander, operated by Intuitive Machines, sent back its final transmission before succumbing to the lunar night. With one of its legs askew during landing and power lost, the spacecraft left us with a lasting and wondrous image — a snapshot of Earth seen as a distant crescent shining against the grey expanse of the lunar horizon.The image, received on February 22nd but shared by Intuitive Machines on X on February 29th, serves as a reminder of…

Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus landing during its descent towards the lunar surface. Image: Intuitive MachinesIt was a topsy-turvy month in spaceflight, with yet another lunar lander falling over and an upsetting new view showing NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter missing a rotor blade, among other memorable moments. February is the shortest month of the year, but it often packs a punch and feels a helluva lot longer than it should. Such was the case this year, especially in the world of spaceflight and astronomy, which witnessed…

A new photo of Odysseus released by NASA illustrates just how rough the lander’s journey to the Moon has been, shining a light on its spunky resilience against all odds.Moon Knight Gives Us HopeTaken on February 22, the day the lander touched down on the Moon, the photo shows Odysseus, affectionately called “Odie,” with a clearly broken leg on the lunar surface. While the photo might not look all that encouraging, Intuitive Machines explained that a perfect storm of events managed to work in Odie’s favor. Not only did…

After a nail-biting touchdown on the lunar surface that left Odysseus bent over on its side, the lander is ready for its nap. Intuitive Machines is getting ready to power down its lunar lander, with hopes that Odie may wake up once the Sun illuminates its functioning solar array again.China's Plan to Land Astronauts on the MoonThe Houston-based company held a press conference on Wednesday to give an update on its IM-1 mission, which landed on the Moon on February 22. The Odysseus lander had some trouble making it to the…

The white arrow at the center of the image points to the Odysseus lunar lander on the surface of the Moon.Image: NASA/GSFC/Arizona State UniversityFollowing a less-than-perfect touchdown, the Odysseus lander has been spotted from lunar orbit while lying on its side on the surface of the Moon. The lunar lander also beamed back its first images from the Moon as it fights to stay alive before it runs out of power.First Full-Color Images From Webb Space TelescopeNASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) captured images of the…

Image: Photo: Shutterstock Graphics: Vicky LetaSurvivor has produced a whopping 45 seasons, with more in development. If you remember the buzz around season 1 but can’t believe it’s been 45 years, it hasn’t. They’ve cranked out two seasons per year for most of its run to feed their insatiable fanbase. Each season, the mega-successful reality show maroons an attractive cast of clashing personalities on a tropical island to compete for a million dollar prize. Contestants are subjected to physical, endurance, and mental…

Intuitive Machines’ spacecraft touched down yesterday on the lunar surface . . . sideways. CEO Steve Altemus confirmed during a press conference Friday that, while it wasn’t a perfect landing, it’s nothing short of a miracle the spacecraft landed intact at all. Using a small model of the lander, Altemus demonstrated how engineers believe the spacecraft, called Odysseus, made its descent given the most recent telemetry data. “The vehicle is stable near or at our intended landing site,” Altemus said. “We’re downloading…

Intuitive Machines’ private lander stumbled on its way down to the lunar surface and is possibly leaning over on a rock on the Moon. The vehicle is still operational and flight engineers are working to gather more data on its less than ideal position, the company said.China's Plan to Land Astronauts on the MoonOdysseus landed on the Moon on Thursday, overcoming a glitch that jeopardized its ability to safely touch down. Although it made it to the surface, Odie’s landing was not so smooth, with the vehicle getting one of…

Intuitive Machines has landed a spacecraft on the lunar surface, in a historic first for a private company. Flight controllers confirmed the landing at 5:23 p.m. CST, though the exact condition of the spacecraft is unclear as engineers work to refine their signal with the lander. “What we can confirm without a doubt is that our equipment is on the surface of the moon and we are transmitting,” mission director and Intuitive Machines CTO Tim Crain said. “So congratulations IM team, we’ll see how much more we can get…

Intuitive Machines landed its Odysseus spacecraft on the Moon on Thursday at 6:23 p.m. ET, becoming the first private company to pull off a soft landing on the lunar surface.China's Plan to Land Astronauts on the MoonThe IM-1 mission delivered 12 payloads near the Malapert A crater in the Moon’s South Pole region following an eight-day journey through space. The lander was originally scheduled for a touchdown at 4:24 p.m., but flight controllers decided to have it go around the Moon for an additional orbit before…