A robotic lunar lander has been successfully launched in a first step towards becoming the first private spacecraft to land on the Moon.

The 1,908kg Nova-C lander – known as Odysseus or ‘Odie’ – was built by Houston-based Intuitive Machines. The company has its own ambitious space programme, which aims to provide a raft of lunar services, including lunar data services.

The launch, from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, was originally intended to take place a day earlier, but was delayed by a complication regarding its methane fuel.

Instead, Odysseus was launched from Kennedy on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket at 01.05 EST today (15 February). Seven and a half minutes after lift-off, the rocket’s first stage returned safely to ground at nearby Cape Canaveral Space Force Station. The rocket’s upper stage later deployed the lander into a lunar transfer orbit. Odysseus established communications with mission control soon after.

The lander is now on a direct trajectory to the Moon. It will attempt...