02/21/2024 – 10:52
A Texas company will attempt, on Thursday (22), to become the first private company to land on the Moon, after a series of unsuccessful attempts by its competitors in the sector.
If Intuitive Machines succeeds in achieving its goal, it would be the first landing by an American probe since the end of the Apollo program in 1972.
The Odysseus module, which carries NASA's scientific experiments, took off from Florida last week.
The landing attempt is scheduled for 4:49 pm Houston time (7:49 pm in Brasília), where the company's control room is located.
The ship's propulsion system, crucial for a successful landing, has already been successfully tested in flight.
This Wednesday, Odysseus must also overcome another important stage: entering lunar orbit at around 100 kilometers high, where it will remain for almost 24 hours before its final descent. The landing process will be carried out in a fully automated way and will be broadcast live on the American space agency's website.
Upon reaching a height of 30 meters, the lunar module will position itself vertically at a speed of three meters per second, before braking at one meter per second for the last 10 meters.
Intuitive Machines expects to be able to confirm the landing about 15 seconds after the probe's six feet touch the lunar soil.
Recently, the feat was achieved by India and Japan, which became the fourth and fifth countries, respectively, to land on the Moon after the former Soviet Union, the United States and China.
But the Americans, who intend to send astronauts to the Moon from 2026, have not done so for more than 50 years. None of the private companies that tried (Israeli, Japanese or American) were successful.
– Lunar south pole –
The Texan company's target is located approximately 300 km from the lunar south pole, a special point of interest due to the water in the form of ice, which could be explored.
Measuring just over four meters tall, the Odysseus module carries six private payloads (including sculptures by contemporary artist Jeff Koons that represent the phases of the Moon) and six NASA scientific instruments.
It also includes a camera system developed by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, which will be ejected 30 meters above the lunar surface to capture the moment of landing, as well as devices located below the module to analyze the amount of dust raised during the descent, in order to to compare it with the Apollo program landings.
Another instrument will study the lunar plasma (an electrically charged layer of gas) and measure radio waves coming from the Sun and other planets.
The Nova-C class module will work with solar panels and is expected to operate for seven days from the moment of landing.
– Reduce costs –
The contract signed by NASA for this private mission was US$118 million (R$587 million, at current prices).
This is the second of NASA's new CLPS program, which hired private companies to take its scientific material to the Moon. The objective is to reduce costs, but continue to develop the space economy.
A first mission, led by Astrobotic, failed last month.
At least four more American missions are planned for this year, including two more from Intuitive Machines.
According to NASA, these projects serve as preparation for its goal of taking astronauts back to the Moon through its emblematic Artemis program.
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