Intuition Machines' lunar lander is on its way to the moon after Thursday's uneventful launch, but it managed to capture some incredible images of Earth while it was close to home. The company shared the first set of images from the IM-1 mission X today after confirming in an earlier post that the spacecraft is in “excellent health.” You can even see the SpaceX Falcon 9 falling into the distance after the second stage separates, along with a view of Earth and partial selfies of the Nova-C lander, nicknamed Odysseus.
Intuition Machines successfully sent its first IM-1 mission images to Earth on February 16, 2024. @SpaceXThe first trip under the moon was a 'second stage' in intuitive machines @NASACLPS initiative of pic.twitter.com/9LccL6q5tF
— Intimate Machines (@Int_Machines) February 17, 2024
Odysseus is attempting to land on the moon on February 22, and so far seems to be doing well. The team released a series of updates on X over the weekend, confirming that the lander had passed some key milestones ahead of its touchdown, including engine firing. It's “the first in-space ignition of a liquid methane and liquid oxygen engine,” according to Intuitive Engines.
