The Intuitive Machines' Nova-C "Odysseus" lander has delivered its first image from the surface of the moon. Also, see the NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter view of the lander from moon orbit. Credit: Space.

As NASA’s moon-landing plans with SpaceX hang in the balance, other bold ideas are quietly starting to take shape.

Quasi-moons are not real moons and don't actually orbit the Earth, although they sometimes appear to do so for short periods of time, Phil Nicholson, professor of astronomy at Cornell University, told ABC News. Instead, they orbit the sun -- like typical asteroids -- on paths that are "very similar" to Earth's.