Despite a messy landing that left the Odysseus spacecraft with a broken leg and tilting over, the team at Intuitive Machines has hailed its IM-1 lunar mission a success.
That’s because it managed to get Odysseus onto the lunar surface largely in one piece and operating well enough to send data back to Earth.
In achieving the feat, Texas-based Intuitive Machines became the first private company to perform a soft landing on the moon, and the first U.S. endeavor to make a soft lunar landing since the final Apollo mission in 1972.
The downside is that due to its wonky position, the lander’s solar panels aren’t receiving sunlight as effectively as intended. With its current energy reserves used up, Odysseus has now powered down for a lunar night, with the mission team crossing their fingers in the hope that once the sun’s rays hit its panels again later in March, the lander will come back to life.
On Thursday, Intuitive Machines shared another image (below) from the lander — this one received in the final batch of data — showing part of Odysseus, a section of the moon, and a small crescent Earth.
“Before its power was depleted, Odysseus completed a fitting farewell transmission,” Intuitive Machines said in a post on social media. “Received today, this image from February 22nd showcases the crescent Earth in the backdrop, a subtle reminder of humanity’s presence in the universe,” the post said, adding, “Goodnight, Odie. We hope to hear from you again.”
Before its power was depleted, Odysseus completed a fitting farewell transmission. Received today, this image from February 22nd showcases the crescent Earth in the backdrop, a subtle reminder of humanity’s presence in the universe.
Goodnight, Odie. We hope to hear from you… pic.twitter.com/RwOWsH1TSz
— Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) February 29, 2024
While Intuitive Machines is hoping to squeeze more data out of Odysseus should it spring into life in a few weeks from now, the team is also taking what it’s learned from the mission to prepare for another lunar landing effort later this year.
Like IM-1, IM-2 will launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in a mission that’s part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative in which the space agency contracts commercial partners as part of its Artemis program. The CLPS missions are laying the groundwork for crewed voyages to the moon, with the first Artemis astronaut landing currently targeted for 2026.
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