Another major lunar milestone this month, and a historic first for the commercial sector. Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander, affectionately named 'Odysseus', successfully touched down near the Moon's south pole, marking the first time a private company has achieved a lunar landing.

It also marks the return of American hardware to the lunar surface for the first time since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

Much like the Japanese SLIM lander last month, Odysseus had a rather dramatic arrival, tripping on the rugged terrain and ending up tilted on its side. However, it still managed to establish communications and transmit data. Landing on the Moon remains a brutally unforgiving endeavour, but the pace of these missions is accelerating beautifully.

BBC: US spacecraft completes Moon landing mission

By NASA Marshall Space Flight Center / Intuitive Machines - This image or video was catalogued by George C. Marshall Space Flight Center of the United States National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) under Photo ID: IM_00309., Public Domain, Link