The first private lander to land on the Moon is permanently unable to wake up after a weeks-long "sleep" during the lunar night.
The Odysseus lander cannot operate again after the night of the Moon. Image: with the BBC
Intuitive Machines Company in Houston announced on March 23 that the Odysseus lander did not transmit signals to Earth even though it was expected that the station's solar panels would receive enough sunlight to turn on the radio. The lander landed at a dangerous angle on February 3 but was still able to complete some tests and send back photos before the team in charge decided to end the mission after a week, when the station spent the lunar night lasting weeks, according to AFP.
Intuitive Machines hopes Odysseus can wake up after receiving sunlight again, similar to Japan's SLIM spacecraft landing upside down in January and operating again in February. After a few days of waiting, operators confirmed that the lander's electrical system could not complete communication with Earth. Thus, the Odysseus station permanently stopped operating on the Moon after becoming the first commercial landing station to land here.
The mission was deemed a success by Intuitive Machines and NASA, even despite numerous problems along the way, including a tilt during landing. This is also the first American spacecraft to land on the Moon since the Apollo 17 manned mission in 1972. NASA is planning to send astronauts back to the Moon by the end of the decade. They spent $120 million on Intuitive Machines in a program to conduct cargo missions using private ships.
Odysseus carries a series of NASA instruments designed to enhance scientific understanding of the Moon's south pole, where NASA is preparing to send astronauts under the Artemis program. Intuitive Machines has two more lunar missions this year, both part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Together with international partners, the US wants to develop a long-term settlement on the Moon, collect polar ice for drinking water and produce rocket fuel for upcoming missions to Mars.
An Khang (According to AFP)
