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Odysseus, a private lander, on Thursday made the first US touchdown on the moon in more than 50 years, but managed just a weak signal back until flight controllers scrambled to gain better contact. Despite the spotty communication, Intuitive Machines, the company that built and managed the craft, confirmed that it had landed upright. But it did not provide additional details, including whether the lander had reached its intended destination near the moon’s south pole. The company ended its live webcast soon after identifying a lone, weak signal from the lander.

The first American spaceship on the Moon since Apollo is "alive and well" following a drama-packed touchdown, the company that built it said Friday as it worked to download data and images from the uncrewed robot."Odysseus is alive and well," Intuitive Machines, which achieved the first lunar landing by a private company, posted on X on Friday morning.

A private lander has made the first U.S. moon landing in more than 50 years. Intuitive Machines' lander touched down Thursday, but left flight controllers scrambling before gaining better contact. Tension mounted in the company's Houston control center when there was no immediate word from the lander following the designated touchdown time. A faint signal finally was acquired. Once communication was improved, the company confirmed the lander was upright and starting to send back data. The landing put the U.S. back on the moon for the first time since NASA's Apollo moonwalkers.

An unmanned commercial robot, funded by NASA, has made history by landing on the Moon for the first time since the Apollo era. This will open the door for US as

The lander’s descent was the first for the U.S. since 1972, when Apollo 17’s Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt left the moon.