Commercial US spaceship Odysseus lands on the moon but transmits weak signal

A commercial spaceship Odysseus landed near the moon's south pole. Shortly after landing, it sent out a signal to confirm its successful touchdown on the lunar surface. However, the company heading the mission said it needs to further refine the signal.

Tim Crain, the Mission director said, "We’re evaluating how we can refine that signal. But we can confirm, without a doubt, that our equipment is on the surface of the moon."

This commercial spaceship is a part of NASA-funded, uncrewed commercial robots. It is going to make a way for the future human exploration of the Moon under the Artemis program.

Celebrating the success of the mission, NASA wrote on X, "Your order was delivered… to the Moon!"

This landing has come months after India became the first country to successfully land its spacecraft on the moon's cold and treacherous south pole. In August 2023, Chandrayaan-3 lander Vikram safely reached the lunar surface.

Also watch: Stepping up security in space: NASA's guide to protecting space missions