Odyssey on the Verge of a Historic Landing on the Moon; America Returns to the Moon After More Than Half a Century

The lunar rover from the Houston-based company 'Intuitive Machines' has orbited the Moon to mark America's first presence on the Moon in over half a century and the first exploration by a private sector. This six-legged robot named 'Odyssey' is set to land near the Moon's South Pole and carries a suite of scientific instruments for NASA and several other commercial clients, designed to operate for seven days on solar power. This unmanned lander has been orbiting approximately 92 kilometers above the Moon's surface six days after its launch by SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The company stated that 'Odyssey' is orbiting the Moon in excellent conditions at a distance of 384,000 kilometers from Earth, sending flight data and images of the Moon back to its control center in Houston. If this lander successfully lands, it will be the first controlled American landing on the Moon's surface since Apollo 17 in 1972. To date, spacecraft from four other countries - the former Soviet Union, China, India, and recently last month, Japan - have landed on the Moon. The United States is the only country that has sent humans to the Moon. The success of Odyssey will also mark the first 'soft landing' on the Moon by a commercial vehicle under NASA's Artemis program. NASA plans to land its first Artemis crew in late 2026 as part of long-term explorations on the Moon and a precursor to human flights to Mars. Last month, a lunar lander from another company called 'Astrobotic Technology' experienced a fuel leak shortly after entering orbit on January 8. This lander exploded in the Earth's atmosphere during its return after an unsuccessful mission to the Moon. This was the first American lunar lander launched into space in over half a century. Previous attempts by two private space companies from Israel and Japan to land on the Moon had failed. The mission of a private American spacecraft to the Moon has begun. A Russian astronaut broke the record for '878 days' living in space. Exclusive; countdown to the start of a simulated journey to Mars; an Iranian scientist is also part of this mission. The lunar lander from a private American company exploded during its return from space to the Earth's atmosphere. A memorable day in space exploration; from the landing of a Japanese 'sniper' on the Moon to the flight of Turkey's first astronaut to the International Space Station.