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SpaceX launches first rocket to land on moon in over 50 years

By Garrett Bedenbaugh, Action News Jax
By Garrett Bedenbaugh, Action News Jax

KENNEDY SPACE CENTER, Fla. — History was made early Thursday morning just after 1 a.m. with the successful launch of the Intuitive Machines Nova-C lunar lander.

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The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket roared to life from the Kennedy Space Center to launch this critical missing for Nasa’s Artemis program into space.

This wasn’t your average moon landing. Packed with NASA science experiments and technology demonstrations, the Nova-C will study the lunar surface, test precision landing techniques and even explore radio astronomy from the moon.

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This “science delivery” mission marks another stepping stone toward establishing a sustainable lunar presence.

This will be the first time photos will be taken of a spacecraft as it lands in space, thanks to students and researchers at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach.

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They have developed a set of cameras, called EagleCAM, that will separate from the lander about 100 feet above the lunar surface as the Nova-C descends.

Then, the cameras will capture the dust plum that is kicked up by the lander and show how dust could accumulate on future astronauts’’ helmet glass.

“You’ve got to think about the astronauts’ visors as we start to return humans to the moon,” explained Dr. Troy Henderson with ERAU Space Technologies Lab.

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We have several “firsts” here too:

  • It’s the first ever university student-built project to land on the moon.
  • It’s the first to capture third-person imagery of a spacecraft.
  • It’s the first to use Wi-Fi on the lunar surface.

The landing is scheduled to take place next Thursday Feb. 22. It will be the first time an American spacecraft has landed on the moon since 1972.

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