--- title: "Private Moon Lander Enters Lunar Orbit" description: "A private, Space-X launched Moon lander has entered lunar orbit, setting it up for a safe and historic landing." date: "2024-02-21" modified: "2024-02-21" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/private-moon-lander-orbit" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "Space" tags: - "intuitive machines" - "lunar lander" - "moon" - "the digest" --- # Private Moon Lander Enters Lunar Orbit ![A private, Space-X launched Moon lander has entered lunar orbit, setting it up for a safe and historic landing.]() *\Image: Intuitive Machines\* ## Historic Attempt A private, [Space-X launched Moon lander]() has entered lunar orbit, setting it up for a high stakes — and, if successful, historic — landing. Intuitive Machines, the company that built the lander, said in [an update on its website]() that the Odysseus probe "continues to be in excellent health" after passing the one million-kilometer (or roughly 621,000 mile) mark on its journey to the Moon. "Odysseus is now closer to the Moon than the end-to-end distance driving across Space City, Houston, TX," the update reads. As the [*Washington Post* notes](), that would put the lander about 57 miles above the Moon as it prepares for its attempted landing on the lunar surface in just over 24 hours. If it succeeds, Odysseus will be the first private or commercial lander to ever successfully touch down on the Moon, and will be the first American craft to do so since the [Apollo 17]() mission in 1972. Had Intuitive Machines been able to launch the probe sooner, it may have beaten out [India]() and Japan, which both had crafts make landfall on the Moon last year — though, to be fair, Japan's [crash-landed almost upside-down](). Last month, the Pittsburgh-based commercial space startup Astrobotic tried — and, [unfortunately, failed]() — to get its Peregrine lander onto the lunar surface. Compared to Peregrine, which was [plagued with issues]() almost immediately after launch, Odysseus has so far experienced nothing but smooth sailing. Over the weekend, it even [beamed back selfies with the Earth]() glittering in the background, another sign that it was communicating with ground control as intended. https://twitter.com/Int_Machines/status/1758899202174685589 ## Prepare For Landing As *WaPo* explains, this leg of Odysseus' journey is tricky, not least of which because it will fall out of contact with Earth when it reaches the dark side of the Moon. As it begins its descent, the probe's engines will fire to get it down from roughly 60 miles above the lunar surface to six, and once it reaches that marker, its on-board cameras and lasers will help it find the best spot to land. Once Odysseus is about 100 feet above the Moon's surface, the most difficult part begins: flipping into the upright position, with its legs pointed down, as its engines begin thrusting lesser and lesser, making the craft that much lighter as it falls down. The hardest part of the probe's journey is still ahead of it, but its chances seem very good — and we're thrilled to watch all the same. **More on the Moon:** [*NASA Curious Whether Astronauts Will See Strange Flashes of Light on the Moon*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()