Intuitive Machines · Commercial Robotic Lunar Lander / NASA Payload Delivery / Lunar South Pole Reconnaissance · USA · Digital Age (2010–present)
IM-1 was a robotic Moon landing mission conducted by Intuitive Machines (IM) in February 2024 using a Nova-C lunar lander. After contact with the lunar surface on February 22 the lander tipped to an unplanned 30 degree angle. All instrument payloads remained functional and the mission was deemed a success, though the data transmission rate was significantly below the planned rate. IM-1 was the first commercial mission to successfully soft-land on the Moon. NASA provided funding support for the mission through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. The lander, named Odysseus, carried six NASA-developed payloads and several others from commercial and educational customers. On February 29, Odysseus lost power and shut down with the start of the lunar night, and could not be reactivated at the start of the next lunar day.