Watch NASA's first ever Moon landing since 1972 today as Odysseus enters orbit

22 February 2024 , 13:50

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The landmark mission first launched on February 15 (Image: PA)

Space fans will be able to witness NASA's first-ever Moon landing in 50 years, as the event will be live-streamed online.

Private company, Intuitive Machines, is aiming to send the first US commercial Moon lander, Odysseus, on the surface by 5.30pm EST (22:30 UTC) on Thursday. The lander, nicknamed Odie, is expected to touch down close to a crater named Malapert A, in the south pole region of the Moon. NASA TV will broadcast the landmark moment on YouTube.

Odysseus first launched earlier this month at around 1.05 am on February 15. If the expedition is successful, the IM-1 mission will be named as the first spacecraft from the US to land on the Moon since Apollo 17 in December 1972.

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Odysseus will work for around 14 human days (Intuitive Machines)

Last month, Pittsburgh-based Astrobotic’s Peregrine also attempted a Moon landing but sadly failed due to a propellant leak. A few weeks later, Japan successfully launched its “Moon Sniper” rover and secured a pinpoint landing on the surface. This made Japan the fourth nation to achieve a soft land.

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The challenge comes around the same time as the arrival of the full “ Snow Moon” on Saturday. The phase was given the name due to the amount of snowfall which takes place in the season. It has been reported that Odie is set to work for one lunar day, which is equivalent to around 14 Earth days.

Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lander would be the first US spacecraft to land on the moon in over 50 years (AFP via Getty Images)

The rocket soars into orbit earlier this month (AFP via Getty Images)

Trent Martin, vice president of space systems at Intuitive Machines, commented on the mission last month and said: "Spaceflight is hard. A million things have to go right, and if one thing goes wrong, you can still have a failure.

"I can't say that we've solved every problem, but we certainly have looked at, as much as we can, the lessons that we've learned over the last four or five years as various missions have attempted to land on the Moon."

What is the schedule for the live coverage?

NASA has shared the schedule for its live coverage, which starts at 4:15 p.m. EST (9.15pm UK time). The footage will start ahead of the landmark landing and will be shown across the agency's website and social channels, as well as; NASA+, NASA Television, NASA TV on YouTube and the NASA app.

Both Intuitive Machines and NASA plan to hold a news conference to speak about the special moment, once the mission is achieved.

Monica Charsley