First successful US lunar landing since Apollo 17 in 1972, and first ever by a private company. Landed near Malapert A crater.
IM-1 made history on February 22, 2024 when Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander "Odysseus" touched down near Malapert A crater at the lunar south pole, becoming the first American spacecraft to land on the Moon since Apollo 17 in December 1972 — and the first privately built spacecraft ever to do so. The mission was part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.
The landing did not go entirely as planned. A last-minute discovery that the laser rangefinders were non-functional (their safety switch had not been removed before launch) forced engineers to improvise, using a NASA experimental lidar instrument (NDL) as a backup navigation sensor. Odysseus landed approximately 1.5 km from its target and tipped onto its side, coming to rest against a small crater rim.
Despite the tipped orientation, Odysseus successfully operated for about 7 days before its solar panels could no longer generate sufficient power. The lander transmitted data from all six NASA instruments and demonstrated that commercial companies could deliver payloads to the lunar surface — a key validation of the CLPS business model.
Demonstrate that a private company can successfully deliver payloads to the lunar surface under NASA's CLPS program.
Transport and operate six NASA instruments including the Radio Frequency Mass Gauge, Laser Retroreflector Array, and Navigation Doppler Lidar.
Test the Nova-C's autonomous landing system and demonstrate precision targeting near the lunar south pole.
Validate liquid oxygen / liquid methane propulsion for lunar landing — a propellant combination of growing interest for future missions.
Operate science instruments in the harsh south pole environment, demonstrating viability of this region for future exploration.
Odysseus touched down near Malapert A crater on February 22, 2024, making Intuitive Machines the first private company to land a spacecraft on the Moon. However, the lander caught a foot on the surface and tipped onto its side, coming to rest against a small crater rim.
Despite the sideways orientation, Odysseus transmitted data from all six NASA instruments over approximately 7 days of surface operations before solar power became insufficient. The mission validated the CLPS model and proved commercial lunar delivery was achievable, though the navigation anomaly (disabled laser rangefinders) and tipping highlighted the challenges of precision lunar landing.
Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lander touched down near Malapert A crater, becoming the first American spacecraft to land on the Moon since Apollo 17 in 1972 and the first ever by a private company. The lander tipped on its side but completed its mission.
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