US attempts nail-biting Moon landing TODAY on mysterious south pole – weeks after last historic mission failed

THE Odysseus lunar spacecraft is set to embark on a historic touchdown today, marking the US’ first attempt at a Moon landing in half a century.

The lander, built by Texas-based Intuitive Machines, aims to be the first private lunar lander to successfully alight on the Moon.

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The Nova-C Odysseus launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on 15 February, where it began its week-long journey to the lunar surface.

The launch was initially scheduled for Valentine’s Day (14 February), however, it was postponed due to an issue with the fuel temperatures.

The 1,488lb (675kg) spacecraft is currently orbiting about 57 miles (92 kilometers) above the Moon.

“After traveling over 1,000,000 km [620,000 miles], Odysseus is now closer to the moon than the end-to-end distance driving across Space City, Houston, TX,” the company confirmed in a X post yesterday.

Odysseus’ time in lunar orbit will be brief, as the lander aims to touchdown near the Moon’s south pole on 22 February, no earlier than 5:30pm EST (10:30pm GMT). 

If successful, it will mark the first US landing on the lunar surface since Nasa’s Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

“Flight controllers expect about a 15-second delay before confirming the ultimate milestone, softly landing on the surface of the moon,” the company wrote in a landing description.

Once it’s on the surface, Odysseus will operate for just two weeks – or one lunar night.

Onboard the lander are 12 payloads, including a next-gen four-camera system to capture the journey down to the surface and landing sensors built in the UK by a company called MDA.

It comes just weeks after US lunar lander Peregrine, failed to reach the surface following a fuel leak.

Peregrine disintegrated upon reentry to Earth’s atmosphere just 10 days after its launch.

Mysterious South Pole

Intuitive Machines is targeting a crater near the south pole, known as Malapert A, as the landing site.

The lunar south pole has been a site of interest to all space-faring nations, including India, Russia, China and the US.

Last year, India made history by becoming the first country to land near the southern site.

Just days before, Russia also made an attempt at a south pole touchdown, which ended in a crash landing.

Nasa’s Artemis III mission – the first human assignment on the Moon since Apollo 17 – is intended to explore aregion near the lunar south pole.

The south pole is what scientists believe is the most promising location for water-based ice, which they say is key to future human habitation on the Moon.

This most recent push to the Moon is part of Nasa’s $2.6billion Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, which aims to involve commercial companies in the exploration of the lunar surface.

This allows Nasa, instead, to channel its efforts – and cash – into getting astronauts back on the Moon.

It forms parts of a decade-long programme that is hoped to culminate with a permanent lunar base, which Nasa hopes to begin building by the end of the decade.

As part of this mission, the space agency has ushered in private industry to keep the sector busy with rocket launches and lunar landers.

This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk