Safe landing and hope for the future?

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket was used to launch the lunar lander, nicknamed Odysseus, with the hope that it would land on the Moon's south pole – where scientists predict (hope) there could be a source of water.

It is the first time a private firm has successfully landed on the Moon. It would also be the first US mission in 51 years to complete a soft touchdown on the lunar surface.

Tucked on board Odysseus are six science payloads designed in various NASA laboratories that are expected to operate for up to seven days on the lunar surface.

“The NASA payloads will focus on demonstrating communication, navigation and precision landing technologies, and gathering scientific data about rocket plume and lunar surface interactions, as well as space weather and lunar surface interactions affecting radio astronomy,” according to the space agency.

The Navigation Doppler Lidar instrument that saved Odysseus’ touchdown was one of those payloads.

Art and technology from the commercial sector are also on board. They include insulation material developed by Columbia Sportswear, designed to shield Odysseus from the harsh temperatures on the moon, and commemorative payloads such as a sculpture of the moon phases designed in consultation with artist Jeff Koons.

Additionally, there is a camera along for the ride developed by students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida. The device was set to pop off the lander and capture a selfie of Odysseus. Images from the camera were not immediately available after the landing.

After one week, lunar night will shroud the landing zone in darkness, plunging the spacecraft into freezing cold. The dramatic swing in temperatures will be difficult — likely leaving the vehicle inoperable.

This mission comes after another commercial NASA partner, Astrobotic Technology, waved off its attempt to land on the moon hours into its mission last month. A critical fuel leak left the Peregrine lander without enough gas to reach the surface.

Why it’s so difficult to land on the moon, even five decades after Apollo

“We’re going 1,000 times further (into space) than the International Space Station,” Altemus said. “Then we’re flying to an orbiting body that has no atmosphere to slow down (the spacecraft). … It all has to be done with a propulsion system. And we’re doing it autonomously or robotically with no intervention from humans.”