OAN’s Sophia Flores
4:41 PM – Thursday, February 22, 2024
For the first time in over 50 years, the United States has landed on the moon.
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On Thursday, a robotic spacecraft called the Odysseus became the first U.S. spacecraft to land on the lunar surface since 1972. It is the first commercial vehicle to reach the achievement from any country.
The 14-foot-tall lander was created by Intuitive Machines, a private space company based out of Houston, Texas. The company worked in partnership with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).
The spacecraft left earth with the help of a SpaceX rocket on February 15th. It was pulled into lunar orbit on Wednesday.
Prior to the Odysseus landing on a flat area near the Malapert A crater, 185 miles north of the moon’s south pole, the mission faced an unexpected issue with the navigation system. During its self-controlled landing, a company spokesman announced that an “aa laser instrument” on the spacecraft that was meant to provide data on its altitude and velocity was not working.
The dilemma resulted in the spacecraft taking an extra orbit around the moon before landing.
While it has been confirmed that the Odysseus is on the lunar surface and is operating, no word on its condition has been released yet.
This is a breaking story. Check back for updates.
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