When to see the US space probe ‘Odie’ land on the moon on Thursday

Houston, Texas-based Intuitive Machines is targeting a 5:49 p.m. EST on Thursday, February 22, to place its lunar probe Odysseus on the lunar surface — and will be broadcast live on NASA TV on YouTube.

The U.S.’s first commercial lander, Ulysses — also known by its nickname “Odie” — will land near a crater called Malapert A in the Moon’s south pole region.

If successful, this IM-1 mission – which carries a scientific payload to the Moon – will be the first US spacecraft to land on the Moon since Apollo 17 in December 1972.

Milestone moment

The landmark moment is timed for the arrival of the full ‘Snow White’ moon on Saturday, a phase that sees the entire Earth-facing side of the moon – including Malapert A – bathed in sunlight. Odie is expected to work for one lunar day – about 14 Earth days.

NASA just revealed the schedule for its live coverage, which will begin at 4:15 p.m. EST, one hour and 4 minutes before the estimated time of touchdown. It will be shown on NASA+, NASA Television, NASA TV on YouTubeThe NASA application and the agency Website as well as on the space agency’s social media channels.

Intuitive Machines and NASA are expected to host a press conference to discuss the mission after a successful landing.

Amazing Pictures

Odysseus, which launched at 1:05 a.m. Feb. 15 on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, sent back some stunning images during its trip to the moon .

The IM-1 mission follows Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Astrobotic’s Peregrine mission, which in January failed to reach the moon after leaking propellant, eventually crashing back to Earth. A few weeks later Japan’s ‘Moon Sniper’ robot made a precision landing on the lunar surface, making Japan only the fourth nation to successfully land on the moon, joining the US, China and the Soviet Union.

I wish you clear skies and open eyes.