INTERVIEW and FILE FOOTAGE: US tries first moon landing in half century

Record ID: 1768394

  • Title: INTERVIEW and FILE FOOTAGE: US tries first moon landing in half century
  • Date: 22nd February 2024
  • Summary: HOUSTON, TEXAS, UNITED STATES (FEBRUARY 22, 2024) (REUTERS) NASA DEPUTY ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR FOR EXPLORATION, JOEL KEARNS, SAYING: “That would let us understand how to use that water in the future, say, to support human explorers, because you can turn, obviously, you know, turn water into drinking water, but you could also turn it into breathable oxygen and rocket fuel. But more than that, it would let us investigate, where did this water really come from that that is now at the moon. The original water, which would be the same water that went originally to the Earth billions of years ago.”
  • Embargoed: 7th March 2024 19:09
  • Keywords: Artemis IM-1 Intuitive Machines NASA Odysseus moon launch space exploration
  • Location: VARIOUS
  • City: VARIOUS
  • Country: In Space
  • Topics: Science,Space Exploration
  • Reuters ID: LVA00A267322022024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A spacecraft built and flown by Houston-based company Intuitive Machines sailed around the moon on Thursday (February 22) headed for an attempt at the first U.S. touchdown on the lunar surface in more than half a century and the first-ever entirely by the private sector.
    The six-legged robot lander, dubbed Odysseus, was due to begin the final descent from lunar orbit with a blast of its main engine about an hour before landing, with touchdown planned for 4:24 p.m. EST (2124 GMT) on Thursday, according to the company's latest flight plan.
    Joel Kearns, NASA’s Deputy Associate Administrator for Exploration, the lunar mission is the result of a blossoming partnership between NASA and private companies. Companies like Intuitive Machines are able to operate more quickly and at less cost than NASA in some cases.
    The big test will come later tonight, Kearns said, when the company shows whether it is able to successfully carry of the landing. If so, it will be an important milestone in NASA’s long-term plan to establish a moon base as a jumping off point for missions deeper into space.
    The vehicle, targeting a crater named Malapert A near the moon's south pole, is carrying a suite of scientific instruments and technology demonstrations for NASA and several commercial customers designed to operate for seven days on solar energy before the sun sets over the polar landing site.
    The NASA payload will focus on collecting data on space weather interactions with the moon's surface, radio astronomy and other aspects of the lunar environment for future landers and NASA's planned return of astronauts later in the decade.
    (Production: Ashraf Fahim)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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