According to a live broadcast, a private American spacecraft is heading to the moon

First modification: 02/15/2024 – 07:59Latest modification: 02/15/2024 – 07:57

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Intuitive Machines, the company responsible for the IM-1 mission, hopes to become the first non-governmental organization to soft-land on Earth’s natural satellite and land the first American robot since the Apollo mission. than five decades ago.

The hexagonal-shaped Nova-C lander, dubbed Odyssey, took off at 1:06 a.m. Thursday (0606 GMT) aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

The mission, called IM-1, was scheduled to depart Wednesday, but the launch was delayed after SpaceX detected abnormal temperatures while attempting to refuel the module.

The lunar lander is equipped with a new type of supercooled liquid methane-oxygen engine that provides power to quickly reach its destination while avoiding prolonged exposure to the high-radiation region surrounding Earth known as the Van Allen Belt.

Despite the delay, the spacecraft is scheduled to arrive on February 22 at the Malapert A landing site, an impact crater located 300 kilometers from the moon’s south pole.

In January, Astrobotic failed to reach the Moon due to a fuel leak and its lander had to be deliberately destroyed mid-flight.

NASA has commissioned private companies to fly scientific equipment to the natural satellite to better understand and reduce environmental risks for astronauts.

The US space agency hopes to establish a long-term presence on the Moon and harvest ice for drinking water and rocket fuel as part of its Artemis program.

© 2024 AFP