Intuitive Machines' Odysseus spacecraft on Thursday successfully landed on the moon, the first time the US completed a lunar landing in over half a century.
NASA broadcasted the monumental landing on its official moon landing, recording its touchdown on the lunar south pole at 6:24 p.m. EST.
The last time an American-made spacecraft successfully landed on the moon was during the Appollo missions in 1972.
According to NASA, the Odysseus is tasked to assess the lunar surrounding in preparation for the agency's Artemis mission to bring man back to the moon by 2026.
Odysseus's success came a month after Astrobotic, another US company, failed to land its Peregrine spacecraft to land on the moon. Both spacecraft were tasked with the same mission.
Also Read: Astrobotic's Peregrine Moon Lander Will Burn Up Before It Reaches Earth
Countries Race to Bring Man into Moon
While the US has just started making its presence on the moon space race again after 50 years, other countries are trying to bring their men to the lunar surface.
Just recently, India and Japan recorded their first successful lunar landing missions, opening prospects for manned operations in the future.
This is in addition to China and Russia announcing plans to build their moon base by the 2030s.
The second moon race also marks more private companies becoming involved in contrast to state-led projects in the 1970s.
As of writing, only five countries have successfully landed on the moon.
Related Article: SpaceX Lunar Mission: The Second Race to the Moon
Other NASA Moon Missions for 2024
That said, other NASA projects are scheduled to take place this year as the agency once again ramps up its space exploration efforts.
Most notable is the resumption of the moon landing missions with the Artemis II flight, touted as the first crewed mission to orbit around the moon. It is scheduled to launch around November.
Two other moon explorers, Lunar Trailblazer and VIPER, are also set to begin their journey in 2024.
The missions are expected to provide scientists better understanding of the water presence and temperature in the moon's surface.
