News
Latest News
news bulletin
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Other News
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Beirut
28
o
Bekaa
19
o
Keserwan
29
o
Metn
29
o
Mount Lebanon
23
o
North
30
o
South
27
o
Live
Video
Audio
Schedule
shows
العربية
watching now
Alakat Khassa
SUBSCRIBE
Home
Notification
Live
Video
Audio
shows
Beirut
28
o
Bekaa
19
o
Keserwan
29
o
Metn
29
o
Mount Lebanon
23
o
North
30
o
South
27
o
News
Programs
The News
Breaking Headlines
Israel-Gaza War Updates
Variety and Tech
Sports News
Middle East News
World News
Lebanon News
Press Highlights
Lebanon Economy
News Bulletin Reports
Programs
Documentaries
Lebanon’s Centennial
News Bulletin
The Untold History
Talk Show
Series
Sports
Variety
Other
Comedy
Oldies
Breaking News
Latest News
Highlighted News
Most Read
Videos
العربية
Watch the latest programs and the latest developments on your favorite screen
Shows
Join millions of followers
Who We Are
Contact Us
Advertise With Us
Careers
Channel frequencies
Privacy Policy
Terms and Conditions
Private moon lander launched to conduct first US lunar touchdown half-century after last Apollo lunar mission
World News
2024-02-15 | 04:22
High views
Share
Share
5
min
Private moon lander launched to conduct first US lunar touchdown half-century after last Apollo lunar mission
A moon lander built by Houston-based aerospace company Intuitive Machines was launched from Florida early on Thursday on a mission to conduct the first US lunar touchdown in more than a half century and the first by a privately owned spacecraft.
The company's Nova-C lander, dubbed Odysseus, lifted off shortly after 1 a.m. EST (0600 GMT) atop a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket flown by Elon Musk' SpaceX from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral.
A live NASA-SpaceX online video feed showed the two-stage, 25-story rocket roaring off the launch pad and streaking into the dark sky over Florida's Atlantic coast, trailed by a fiery yellowish plume of exhaust.
About 48 minutes after launch, the six-legged lander was shown being released from Falcon 9's upper stage about 139 miles above Earth and drifting away on its voyage to the moon.
"IM-1 Odysseus lunar lander separation confirmed," a mission controller was heard saying.
Moments later, mission operations in Houston received its first radio signals from Odysseus as the lander began an automated process of powering on its systems and orienting itself in space, according to webcast commentators.
Although considered an Intuitive Machines mission, the IM-1 flight is carrying six NASA payloads of instruments designed to gather data about the lunar environment ahead of NASA's planned return of astronauts to the moon later this decade.
Thursday's launch came a month after the lunar lander of another private firm, Astrobotic Technology, suffered a propulsion system leak on its way to the moon shortly after being placed in orbit on Jan. 8 by a United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan rocket making its debut flight.
The failure of Astrobotic's Peregrine lander, which was also flying NASA payloads to the moon, marked the third time a private company had been unable to achieve a "soft landing" on the lunar surface, following ill-fated efforts by companies from Israel and Japan.
Those mishaps illustrated the risks NASA faces in leaning more heavily on the commercial sector than it had in the past to realize its spaceflight goals.
Plans call for Odysseus to reach its destination after a weeklong flight, with a Feb. 22 landing at crater Malapert A near the moon's south pole.
If successful, the flight would represent the first controlled descent to the lunar surface by a US spacecraft since the final Apollo crewed moon mission in 1972, and the first by a private company.
The feat also would mark the first journey to the lunar surface under NASA's Artemis moon program, as the US races to return astronauts to Earth's natural satellite before China lands its own crewed spacecraft there.
IM-1 is the latest test of NASA's strategy of paying for the use of spacecraft built and owned by private companies to slash the cost of the Artemis missions, envisioned as precursors to human exploration of Mars.
By contrast, during the Apollo era, NASA bought rockets and other technology from the private sector, but owned and operated them itself.
NASA announced last month that it was delaying its target date for a first crewed Artemis moon landing from 2025 to late 2026, while China has said it was aiming for 2030.
Small landers such as Nova-C are expected to get there first, carrying instruments to closely survey the lunar landscape, its resources and potential hazards. Odysseus will focus on space weather interactions with the moon's surface, radio astronomy, precision landing technologies and navigation.
Intuitive Machine's IM-2 mission is scheduled to land at the lunar south pole in 2024, followed by an IM-3 mission later in the year with several small rovers.
Last month, Japan became the fifth country to place a lander on the moon, with its space agency JAXA achieving an unusually precise "pinpoint" touchdown of its SLIM probe last month. Last year, India became the fourth nation to land on the moon, after Russia failed in an attempt the same month.
The United States, the former Soviet Union and China are the only other countries that have carried out successful soft lunar touchdowns. China scored a world first in 2019 by achieving the first landing on the far side of the moon.
Reuters
World News
Variety and Tech
Moon
Aerospace
Intuitive Machines
US
Spacecraft
Elon Musk
SpaceX
NASA
Next
France far-right chief confirms election pact with right-wing party
Recommended For You
d-none hideMe
0
World News
06:47
Russia says its forces take control of Kirove in Ukraine's Donetsk region
World News
06:47
Russia says its forces take control of Kirove in Ukraine's Donetsk region
0
World News
05:25
Chinese Navy survey ship enters Japanese waters, Japan's defense ministry says
World News
05:25
Chinese Navy survey ship enters Japanese waters, Japan's defense ministry says
0
World News
05:14
Ukrainian air defense downs 24 Russian drones, Kyiv says
World News
05:14
Ukrainian air defense downs 24 Russian drones, Kyiv says
0
World News
04:52
China, Philippines accuse each other of ramming ships in South China Sea
World News
04:52
China, Philippines accuse each other of ramming ships in South China Sea
Subscribe to our VOD
SUBSCRIBE
Our visitors readings
d-none hideMe
0
News Bulletin Reports
2024-07-27
Paris Olympics 2024: France welcomes the world with mesmerizing Olympic opening on the Seine
News Bulletin Reports
2024-07-27
Paris Olympics 2024: France welcomes the world with mesmerizing Olympic opening on the Seine
0
World News
2024-06-19
Kim says Russia mutual assistance deal 'defensive' in nature
World News
2024-06-19
Kim says Russia mutual assistance deal 'defensive' in nature
0
Lebanon News
2024-07-28
Israeli army claims attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
Lebanon News
2024-07-28
Israeli army claims attacks on Hezbollah targets in Lebanon
0
World News
2024-08-26
Russia attacked energy facilities in west Ukraine causing outages
World News
2024-08-26
Russia attacked energy facilities in west Ukraine causing outages
Videos
d-none hideMe
0
News Bulletin Reports
2024-08-26
LBCI Exclusive: Canada's Ambassador to Lebanon supports UNIFIL mandate renewal, aims to strengthen LAF capabilities
News Bulletin Reports
2024-08-26
LBCI Exclusive: Canada's Ambassador to Lebanon supports UNIFIL mandate renewal, aims to strengthen LAF capabilities
0
Lebanon News
2024-08-25
Hezbollah reveals footage of strikes in second phase of 'Day of Arbaeen' operation
Lebanon News
2024-08-25
Hezbollah reveals footage of strikes in second phase of 'Day of Arbaeen' operation
0
Lebanon News
2024-08-25
Hezbollah publishes new video revealing Israeli sites targeted in retaliation for assassinating its commander Fouad Shokor
Lebanon News
2024-08-25
Hezbollah publishes new video revealing Israeli sites targeted in retaliation for assassinating its commander Fouad Shokor
0
Lebanon News
2024-08-19
Israeli strike targets car in southern Lebanon, leaving one dead and several injured (video)
Lebanon News
2024-08-19
Israeli strike targets car in southern Lebanon, leaving one dead and several injured (video)
0
News Bulletin Reports
2024-08-13
Lebanon's authorities uncover five bodies in Kfarshima house: Here are the details
News Bulletin Reports
2024-08-13
Lebanon's authorities uncover five bodies in Kfarshima house: Here are the details
0
Lebanon News
2024-08-11
Lebanese Army finds main body of missile from Israeli Strike in Miryata forests
Lebanon News
2024-08-11
Lebanese Army finds main body of missile from Israeli Strike in Miryata forests
0
Lebanon News
2024-07-31
Mohammed Khair: Nine buildings damaged in Israeli attack; demolition planned for severely affected ones
Lebanon News
2024-07-31
Mohammed Khair: Nine buildings damaged in Israeli attack; demolition planned for severely affected ones
0
World News
2024-07-21
Full Transcript: Trump's Coordinator of Arab Relations Discusses Plan to Win Arab Voters and Achieve Peace
World News
2024-07-21
Full Transcript: Trump's Coordinator of Arab Relations Discusses Plan to Win Arab Voters and Achieve Peace
0
Lebanon News
2024-07-18
Two dead in Israeli airstrike on Jmeijmeh, south Lebanon (Video)
Lebanon News
2024-07-18
Two dead in Israeli airstrike on Jmeijmeh, south Lebanon (Video)
Most read
d-none hideMe
24 hours
7 days
Month
1
Lebanon News
03:23
FPM leader Bassil tells Hezbollah: We support you in defending Lebanon, not in starting wars
Lebanon News
03:23
FPM leader Bassil tells Hezbollah: We support you in defending Lebanon, not in starting wars
2
Lebanon News
04:29
Israeli artillery shelling in Yohmor Al Shaqif, South Lebanon, causes fires near homes
Lebanon News
04:29
Israeli artillery shelling in Yohmor Al Shaqif, South Lebanon, causes fires near homes
3
Lebanon News
05:59
Major fire breaks out on outskirts of Naqoura, South Lebanon, due to Israeli drone
Lebanon News
05:59
Major fire breaks out on outskirts of Naqoura, South Lebanon, due to Israeli drone
4
Lebanon News
05:46
Firefighters persist in containing Yohmor Al Shaqif fire in South Lebanon following Israeli artillery shelling
Lebanon News
05:46
Firefighters persist in containing Yohmor Al Shaqif fire in South Lebanon following Israeli artillery shelling
5
Lebanon News
08:57
Speaker of Parliament Berri: Call for presidential election remains open, dialogue and successive sessions expected
Lebanon News
08:57
Speaker of Parliament Berri: Call for presidential election remains open, dialogue and successive sessions expected
6
Israel-Gaza War Updates
03:31
Axios: Gallant says Israel must choose between Philadelphi corridor and hostages
Israel-Gaza War Updates
03:31
Axios: Gallant says Israel must choose between Philadelphi corridor and hostages
7
Middle East News
03:02
CENTCOM says raid kills 15 ISIS members in Iraq
Middle East News
03:02
CENTCOM says raid kills 15 ISIS members in Iraq
8
Lebanon News
03:42
Israeli airstrikes target forests and outskirts in South Lebanon
Lebanon News
03:42
Israeli airstrikes target forests and outskirts in South Lebanon
Download now the LBCI mobile app
To see the latest news, the latest daily programs in Lebanon and the world
Google Play
App Store
We use
cookies
We use
cookies
to make
your experience on this
website better.
Accept
Learn More