Intuitive Machines (LUNR) IM-1 moon landing for NASA

Lunar company Intuitive Machines is going for history on Thursday as it attempts to reach the moon’s surface in what would be the first American lunar landing since the Apollo era.

Intuitive Machines’ mission, known as IM-1, aims to soft land near the moon’s south pole at about 6:24 p.m. ET.

If successful, the company’s Nova-C cargo lander, named “Odysseus” after the mythological Greek hero, would be the first U.S. spacecraft to land on the lunar surface since 1972. Intuitive Machines would become the first company to pull off the feat — government agencies have carried out all previous successful landings.

The company’s stock dipped 3% in Thursday trading from its previous close at $9.32 a share.

Intuitive Machines, a Houston, Texas-based company founded in 2013, went public a year ago. After shares hit an all-time low in early January, the stock has surged more than 300% – a rally that Wall Street analysts describe as fueled by investor excitement around the IM-1 mission’s progress.

Odysseus will begin a series of maneuvers about one hour before the landing attempt, starting with “Descent Orbit Insertion.”

IM-1 is targeting the “Malapert A” crater, about 300 kilometers from the moon’s south pole. After landing, Intuitive Machines aims to operate Odysseus on the surface for up to seven days.

The mission launched on a SpaceX rocket on Feb. 15. It is carrying 12 government and commercial payloads — six of which are for NASA under an $118 million contract.

The hexagonal lander is 4.3 meters (or about 14 feet) tall, and its legs spread 4.6 meters (or about 15 feet feet) wide, making the spacecraft about the size of an SUV stood…