U.S. Successfully Lands on the Moon for First Time in More than 50 Years

By Cort Johnson

February 23, 2024

Waxing crescent moon with a night sky stars background. Amazing view of the tiny moon surface illuminated by the sun and the dark side of the moon. Dramatical thin line cut out in the starry nighsky

Photo: abriendomundo / iStock / Getty Images

Intuitive Machines' spacecraft Odysseus successfully landed near the moon's south pole after a 73-minute descent, marking the United States' return to the lunar surface for the first time in over 50 years.

The mission, aimed at opening a new era of lunar exploration, is a significant step towards NASA's scheduled late-2026 mission to return humans to the moon.