Get the latest tech news

Odysseus Marks the First US Moon Landing in More Than 50 Years

A Houston-based company called Intuitive Machines made lunar history this week.

There was high drama and plenty of intrigue on Thursday evening as Intuitive Machines attempted to land its Odysseus spacecraft in a small crater not all that far from the south pole of the moon. These two modes help the flight computer on Odysseus to determine precisely where it is during descent—by snapping lots of images and comparing them to known moon topography—and to identify hazards below, such as boulders, in order to find a safe landing site. During these final, crucial minutes, Odysseus' improvised terrain-relative navigation camera scanned the surface for hazards, such as boulders, to ensure a safe landing site.

Get the Android app