Odysseus

In a poignant moment captured amid the vastness of space, the Odysseus moon lander, operated by Intuitive Machines, sent back its final transmission before succumbing to the lunar night. With one of its legs askew during landing and power lost, the spacecraft left us with a lasting and wondrous image — a snapshot of Earth seen as a distant crescent shining against the grey expanse of the lunar horizon.The image, received on February 22nd but shared by Intuitive Machines on X on February 29th, serves as a reminder of…

Odysseus, the first U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon in half a century, was expected to go dark on Wednesday, six days after an off-kilter touchdown that hindered its communications and solar-charging capability, NASA and the company that flew the vehicle said.Despite persistent difficulties in communicating with the lander and keeping it charged, NASA said it managed to extract data from all of its science payloads delivered to the lunar surface by the lander, flown by Texas-based Intuitive Machines."We have conducted…

Lunar night has come around again, presenting yet another test for the two landers that recently arrived on the moon’s surface. Both Japan’s SLIM spacecraft and Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus have gone to sleep for the two-week-long stretch of darkness, the two teams confirmed at the end of the week. There’s no guarantee that they’ll be able to resume operations afterward, but they’ll try to reestablish contact when the time comes.While the solar powered landers weren’t built to withstand the frigid lunar night, SLIM —…

Intuitive Machines’ first lunar lander officially lost power today after spending seven days on the moon. The lander made history for being the first American hardware to reach the lunar surface since 1972 and the first privately built spacecraft to land on the moon. But the lander, called Odysseus, will be remembered for another reason: its propulsion system. That propulsion system, which uses a combination of cryogenic liquid oxygen and liquid methane, could unlock new capabilities in space and de-risk future…

Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus landing during its descent towards the lunar surface. Image: Intuitive MachinesIt was a topsy-turvy month in spaceflight, with yet another lunar lander falling over and an upsetting new view showing NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter missing a rotor blade, among other memorable moments. February is the shortest month of the year, but it often packs a punch and feels a helluva lot longer than it should. Such was the case this year, especially in the world of spaceflight and astronomy, which witnessed…

NASA and Intuitive Machines recently showcased the first images by its lunar lander, Odysseus, making a soft landing on the Moon's south pole as part of the Intuitive Machines 1 mission (IM-1). The spacecraft's orientation and a glimpse of the Moon's South Pole region were captured in these images, marking for a significant achievement in the United States' return to lunar exploration over half a century since Apollo 17.Referred to affectionately as a "scrappy little guy" by NASA due to a tilted leg, Odysseus executed a…

A new photo of Odysseus released by NASA illustrates just how rough the lander’s journey to the Moon has been, shining a light on its spunky resilience against all odds.Moon Knight Gives Us HopeTaken on February 22, the day the lander touched down on the Moon, the photo shows Odysseus, affectionately called “Odie,” with a clearly broken leg on the lunar surface. While the photo might not look all that encouraging, Intuitive Machines explained that a perfect storm of events managed to work in Odie’s favor. Not only did…

As the Odysseus Moon lander faces its final hours of life, it turns out there's one final twist in the saga: The spacecraft broke one of its legs on landing, thanks to a cascade of mistakes that began back on Earth, when a safety switch wasn't flicked on prior to launch.The IM-1 mission has been a strange mixture of success and mishaps. A week after what seemed like a flawless launch on February 14, it was deemed the first successful American Moon landing in more than half a century. It was also the first privately owned…

Odysseus’ landing captured a leg, as it performed its primary task, absorbing first contact with the lunar surface. With the lander’s liquid methane and liquid oxygen engine still throttling, it provided stability. Credit: Intuitive MachinesNASA and Intuitive Machines have provided updates on the challenges and successes of the IM-1 mission, marking the first U.S. lunar landing since Apollo 17. This groundbreaking mission successfully collected over 350 megabits of science data, offering unprecedented insights into the…

NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter captured this image of the Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander, called Odysseus, on the Moon’s surface on Feb. 24, 2024, at 1:57 p.m. EST). Odysseus landed at 80.13 degrees south latitude, 1.44 degrees east longitude, at an elevation of 8,461 feet (2,579 meters). The image is 3,192 feet (973 meters) wide, and lunar north is up. Credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State UniversityOdysseus’ landing on the Moon represents a landmark achievement for NASA’s lunar exploration, capturing the first soft…