Artwork from Amsterdam-based artist brought to the moon on Odysseus moon lander

A Dutch artist's work is onboard the Intuitive Machines Odysseus landing vehicle that arrived on the moon late Thursday evening. Bram Reijnders, who was born in Venray but lives in Amsterdam, made two pieces for the mission. They are on a microchip chip put on the Odysseus as cargo. His work is among those from great artists like Pablo Picasso and Jeff Koons.

One of the works selected from Reijnders is a globe with human faces on it. "They give a face to the abstract concept of climate change. They represent all kinds of cultures and age groups. I stand for the Netherlands, my son for Brazil, where he lives," Reijnders explains.

The other piece is a fantasy beach. "That seems heavenly, but the people are not sunbathing; they are climate refugees."

The chip contains artworks from around 200 people. "It is a sort of Noah's Ark to protect the cultural heritage of humanity so that the works are protected if the world perishes. As far as I know, they will be protected for a billion years," he said. His pieces were included because the project's initiators "also wanted several new, current artists who work with new techniques and modern methods."

The fact that his work is on the moon feels "super cool," Reijnders said. "It is a great responsibility that I can participate in. I think it's great that I can tell my son for the rest of my life that we will be on the moon together."

Reijnders said before the landing that he would be following it. "I want to see how he lands smoothly on his feet. I've got a bottle of champagne ready."

Odysseus is the first successful commercial moon landing ever. It was also the first American moon landing since 1972.