IM-1 lands on the Moon but falls on its side
Posted: Sun, Feb 25, 2024, 9:46 AM ET (1446 GMT)
Intuitive Machines became the first company to land a spacecraft on the Moon, but the lander appears to be on its side. The Nova-C lander touched down in the south polar regions of the moon at 6:23 pm EST (2323 GMT) Thursday, although it took about 15 minutes for the company to confirm it was receiving signals from the spacecraft. At a briefing Friday, the company said telemetry indicates the lander appears to be on its side, possibly toppling over on landing. That has limited the lander's ability to communicate, but it is sending some data and generating power. The IM-1 mission is the first privately developed spacecraft to land on the moon after three failed attempts over the last five years, and is the first American spacecraft to soft-land on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. The spacecraft is carrying six NASA payloads and six payloads from other customers, with plans to operate on the surface for about a week.
Intuitive Machines became the first company to land a spacecraft on the Moon, but the lander appears to be on its side. The Nova-C lander touched down in the south polar regions of the moon at 6:23 pm EST (2323 GMT) Thursday, although it took about 15 minutes for the company to confirm it was receiving signals from the spacecraft. At a briefing Friday, the company said telemetry indicates the lander appears to be on its side, possibly toppling over on landing. That has limited the lander's ability to communicate, but it is sending some data and generating power. The IM-1 mission is the first privately developed spacecraft to land on the moon after three failed attempts over the last five years, and is the first American spacecraft to soft-land on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. The spacecraft is carrying six NASA payloads and six payloads from other customers, with plans to operate on the surface for about a week.
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