Flight controllers scrambled to gain better contact with the first U.S. spacecraft to reach the lunar surface in more than 50 years.
An image taken from video released by Intuitive Machines shows flight controllers at Intuitive Machines in Houston react after its private spacecraft touched down on the moon on Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024. CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — A private lander on Thursday made the first U.S. touchdown on the moon in more than 50 years, but managed just a weak signal back until flight controllers scrambled to gain better contact.
Added Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus: “I know this was a nail-biter, but we are on the surface and we are transmitting. Welcome to the moon.” Intuitive Machines also became the first private business to pull off a lunar landing, a feat achieved by only five countries. Another U.S. company, Astrobotic Technology, gave it a shot last month, but never made it to the moon, and the lander crashed back to Earth. Both companies are part of a NASA-supported program to kick-start the lunar economy.
As the designated touchdown time came and went, controllers at the company’s command center anxiously awaited a signal from the spacecraft some 250,000 miles away. After close to 15 minutes, the company announced it had received a weak signal from the lander.
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