Intuitive Machines, a private company, launched a SpaceX rocket loaded with NASA experiments in the latest effort to put an American lunar lander on the moon. You can see video of the launch here.
An attempt by a different company earlier this month failed shortly after launch and crashed back to Earth. The U.S. hasn’t been back to the moon since its final manned Apollo mission in 1972, and now several nations, including India, Japan, and Russia, have joined the moon race.
Intuitive’s plan calls for its lunar lander, Odysseus, to land near the moon’s south pole on Feb. 22, about a week from now. The craft is carrying a variety of commercial payloads along with $100 million worth of science equipment NASA is testing.