Intuitive Machines' Odysseus, an uncrewed Nova-C lander, landed on the Moon at 18:24 UTC (2324 UTC) on Thursday 22 February. This mission, also called IM-1, was the first landing on the Moon as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and the #Artemis campaign. IM-1 was also the first American landing on the Moon in over 50 years.

Six NASA science instruments and technology demonstrators are on their way to the lunar South Pole on the IM-1 mission. These payloads will help us prepare for future human exploration of the lunar surface in many different ways, including studying interactions between space weather and the lunar surface, collecting data on geolocation and navigation, and measuring how microgravity affects cryogenic propellants.

SpaceX Falcon 9 successfully launched the Intuitive Machines Nova-C lander at 1:05 a.m. (0605 UTC) on Thursday (15 February) from Launch Complex 39A at NASA Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The CLPS initiative aims to gain new knowledge about the lunar environment and expand the lunar economy to support future crewed missions under NASA Artemis.

The IM-1 mission team expects to receive the images in the coming days.

Image description:

A 125-mile (200 km) fisheye view of the Moon's Schomberger crater at an altitude of about 6 miles (10 km) above the lunar surface. In this image, taken by a colour camera aboard Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lander, the Moon's greyish rocky surface appears curved against the darkness of space. A portion of the lander can be seen in the lower right.