CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) \u2014 A private U.S. lunar lander reached the moon and eased into a low orbit Wednesday, a day before it will attempt an even greater feat \u2014 landing on the gray, dusty surface.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A smooth touchdown would put the U.S. back in business on the moon for the first time since NASA astronauts closed out the Apollo program in 1972. The company, if successful, also would become the first private outfit to ace a moon landing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Launched last week, Intuitive Machines\u2019 lander fired its engine on the back side of the moon while out of contact with Earth. Flight controllers at the company\u2019s Houston headquarters had to wait until the spacecraft emerged to learn whether the lander was in orbit or hurtling aimlessly away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Intuitive Machines confirmed its lander, nicknamed Odysseus, was circling the moon with experiments from NASA and other clients. The lander is part of a NASA program to kickstart the lunar economy; the space agency is paying $118 million to get its experiments on the moon on this mission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Thursday, controllers will lower the orbit from just under 60 miles (92 kilometers) to 6 miles (10 kilometers) \u2014 a crucial maneuver occurring again on the moon\u2019s far side \u2014 before aiming for a touchdown near the moon\u2019s south pole. It\u2019s a dicey place to land with all the craters and cliffs, but deemed prime real estate for astronauts since the permanently shadowed craters are believed to hold frozen water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The moon is littered with wreckage from failed landings. Some missions never even got that far. Another U.S. company \u2014 Astrobotic Technology \u2014 tried to send a lander to the moon last month, but it didn\u2019t get there because of a fuel leak.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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