Intuitive Machines built the first privately funded spacecraft to complete a controlled soft landing on the Moon.
Its Odysseus lander touched down near the lunar south pole on 22 February 2024 during the IM-1 mission. The mission was delivered under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which purchases transportation from private companies rather than operating every lander directly.
Odysseus became the first U.S.-built spacecraft to land softly on the Moon since 1972 and the first commercial lunar lander to achieve the feat. It landed on its side after a leg caught on the surface, but it continued sending data for several days.
The company is sometimes confused with Astrobotic, whose Peregrine lander launched earlier but did not land on the Moon. Intuitive Machines’ success made Odysseus the relevant spacecraft for this milestone.