Here's what's landing on the moon today aboard Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lander

Intuitive Machines’ lander, named Odysseus, will try today (Feb. 22) to become the first private spacecraft ever to touch down softly on the moon. But what is the lander carrying?

The intrepid Odysseus entered lunar orbit on Wednesday (Feb. 21) and will make its historic landing attempt this afternoon no earlier than 5:30 p.m. EST (2230 GMT) near Malapert A, a small impact crater about 190 miles (300 kilometers) from the moon’s south pole. You can watch the try live here at Space.com, courtesy of NASA.

The hexagonal-cylinder-shaped Nova-C series lander is loaded with a total 12 payloads from NASA and commercial companies, which will carry out diverse science tasks on the surface of the moon.

NASA payloads

Six NASA payloads are flying on Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 commercial mission, as part of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program (CLPS) to aid the wider Artemis program of lunar exploration.

You can see what they are below.

ROLSES (Radio Observations of the Lunar Surface Photoelectron Sheath):

((Image credit: Intuitive Machines))

ROLSES is a radio spectrometer for measuring the electron density near the lunar surface and how it may affect radio observatories, as well as observing solar and planetary radio waves and other phenomena.

LRA (Laser Retro-Reflector Array)

((Image credit: Intuitive Machines))

LRA is a small, passive hemisphere containing eight approximately 0.5-inch-wide (1.3 centimeters) retro-reflectors designed to reflect light directly back in the direction it came from. LRA will allow spacecraft to ping it with lasers to help them determine their precise distance for landings or location in lunar orbit.

NDL (Navigation Doppler Lidar for Precise Velocity and Range Sensing)

((Image credit: Intuitive Machines))

A light detection and ranging (LIDAR) payload for determining precise altitude and speed during landing. The system could help enhance spacecraft capabilities in precision navigation and making controlled lunar landings.

SCALPSS (Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies)

((Image credit: Intuitive Machines))

SCALPSS consists of four tiny cameras near the base of Odysseus. These will capture images and footage of the landing to help understand how exhaust from the lander’s engines interacts with the lunar surface. Accelerated dust could pose a threat to nearby spacecraft and habitats on the moon.

LN-1 (Lunar Node 1 Navigation Demonstrator)

((Image credit: Intuitive Machines))

LN-1 is a cubesat-sized S-band radio navigation beacon that will demonstrate autonomous spacecraft positioning to support future lunar operations.

RFMG (Radio Frequency Mass Gauge statement)

((Image credit: Intuitive Machines))

RFMG is a payload designed to precisely measure the amount of propellant in spacecraft tanks using radio waves and antennae. The system could be useful for long-duration missions and could help support Artemis.

Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus moon lander beamed home this selfie on Feb. 16, 2024, a day after launching atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. (Image credit: Intuitive Machines via X)

Commercial payloads

The six commercial payloads aboard Odysseus are:

Columbia Sportswear

((Image credit: Intuitive Machines))

Columbia is testing its Omni-Heat thermal reflective technology on the lander’s A2 closeout panel to protect Nova-C’s cryogenic propulsion tank.

Embry-Riddle Eaglecam

((Image credit: Intuitive Machines))

Eaglecam is a cubesat-sized payload designed to capture the first-ever “third-person” image of a spacecraft making a lunar landing. Eaglecam, developed by students at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, will deploy from Odysseus about 100 feet (30 meters) above the lunar surface and capture the moment of touchdown.

“Moon Phases”

((Image credit: Intuitive Machines))

Artist Jeff Koons is sending 125 miniature stainless steel Moon Phase sculptures, each honoring significant human achievements across cultures and history, to be displayed on the moon in a cube.

ILO-X

((Image credit: Intuitive Machines))

A dual-camera lunar imaging system and a precursor to the future International Lunar Observatory Association (ILOA) Hawai’i flagship Moon South Pole Observatory, ILO-1. ILO-X will test and verify systems and conduct astronomy, including capturing images of the Milky Way.

Lunaprise

((Image credit: Intuitive Machines))

A time capsule containing “lunagram” messages etched on pure nickel nanofiche. The aim is to create a secure lunar repository to preserve human knowledge indefinitely as part of Arch Mission Foundation’s billion-year archive. The payload was organized by Galactic Legacy Labs LLC in collaboration with Space Blue and Arch Mission Foundation.

Independence

((Image credit: Intuitive Machines))

Cloud computing startup Lonestar’s Independence payload is a lunar data center test mission for data storage and transmission from the lunar surface.