Odysseus Spacecraft

• 20 Feb 2024

Source: TOI

Intuitive Mission’s Odysseus spacecraft, a private Nova-C lunar lander, is on its way to the Moon after launching on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

• Odysseus is the second private attempt after the Peregrine lander's failure.
• The Falcon 9 is a two-stage rocket designed and manufactured by SpaceX to transport people and payloads into Earth's orbit.
• The spacecraft carries six payloads for NASA under the CLPS initiative, testing new technologies and scientific instruments.
  • Key technologies being tested include a LIDAR-based sensor and an electrostatic dust-removal system for spacesuits.
• The spacecraft is set to land on the Moon on 22^nd February 2024.
• The mission aims to become the first American spacecraft to land on the Moon in over 50 years. The last time an American spacecraft landed on the Moon was in 1972, with Apollo 17.
• The mission is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and Artemis campaign.

Read more: Challenges in Lunar Landing Missions, Space Missions in 2024