A US space exploration company says it has put an uncrewed lander on the lunar surface. This marks the first time a spacecraft developed by a private company has succeeded in landing on the moon.

Intuitive Machines announced that its Nova-C class lander Odysseus touched down at 23:23 UTC on Thursday.

The company launched the mission on February 15. The final descent to the moon's surface involved a carefully controlled blast from the craft's engine.

Company officials say they have confirmed that the lander is standing upright and has begun transmitting data as expected.

Five countries have so far managed moon landings: the former Soviet Union, the United States, China, India and Japan. But no private company had achieved the feat before Intuitive Machines.

If all goes well, six kinds of equipment on the lander developed by US space agency NASA will be used to conduct various experiments.

It has been a busy time in the field of moon exploration. Japan's space agency JAXA succeeded in landing an unmanned probe on the lunar surface in January. This followed the cancellation of a landing plan by a different private firm in the US due to system failure.