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Associated Press

A private US lunar lander was expected to stop working on Tuesday, its mission cut short after landing sideways near the south pole of the moon.
Intuitive Machines, the Houston company that built and flew the spacecraft, said on Monday it will continue to collect data until sunlight no longer shines on the solar panels.
Based on the position of Earth and the moon, officials expect that to happen on Tuesday morning US time. That is two to three days short of the week or so that Nasa and other customers had been counting on.
The lander, named Odysseus, is the first US spacecraft to land on the moon in more than 50 years, carrying experiments for Nasa, the main sponsor.

But it came in too fast last Thursday and the foot of one of its six legs caught on the surface, causing it to tumble over, according to company officials.
Based on photos from Nasa’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter flying overhead, Odysseus landed within 1.5km of its intended target near the Malapert A crater, just 300km (185 miles) or so from the moon’s south pole.
Chinese and US astronomers to view universe through Odysseus’ eyes
The LRO photos from 90km up are the only ones showing the lander on the surface, but as little more than a spot in the grainy images.
A camera-ejecting experiment by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, to capture images of the lander as they both descended, was called off shortly before touchdown because of a last-minute navigation issue.
According to Nasa, the lander ended up in a small, degraded crater with a 12-degree slope. That iss the closest a spacecraft has ever come to the south pole, an area of interest because of suspected frozen water in the permanently shadowed craters there.
Nasa, which plans to land astronauts in this region in the next few years, paid Intuitive Machines US$118 million to deliver six experiments to the surface. Other customers also had items on board.
Instead of landing upright, the 4.3-metre Odysseus came down on its side, hampering communication with Earth. Some antennas were covered up by the toppled lander, and the ones still exposed ended up near the ground, resulting in spotty communications.

The solar panels also ended up much closer to the surface than anticipated, less than ideal in the hilly terrain. Even under the best of circumstances, Odysseus only had a week to operate on the surface before the long lunar night set in.
Since the 1960s, only the US, Russia, China, India and Japan have successfully pulled off moon landings, and only the US with crews. Japan’s lander ended up on the wrong side, too, just last month.
Why it took the US 51 years to get back on the moon
Despite its slanted landing, Intuitive Machines became the first private business to join the elite group. Another US company, Astrobotic Technology, gave it a try last month, but did not make it to the moon because of a fuel leak.
Intuitive Machines almost failed, too. Ground teams did not turn on the switch for the lander’s navigating lasers before the February 15 lift-off from Florida.




The oversight was not discovered until Odysseus was circling the moon, forcing flight controllers to rely on a Nasa laser-navigating device that was on board merely as an experiment.
As it turned out, Nasa’s test lasers guided Odysseus to a close to bull’s-eye landing, resulting in the first moon landing by a US spacecraft since the Apollo programme.
Twelve Apollo astronauts walked on the moon from 1969 until 1972. While Nasa went on to put an occasional satellite around the moon, the US did not launch another moon-landing mission until last month.
Astrobotic’s failed flight was the first under Nasa’s programme to promote commercial deliveries to the moon.
Both Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic hold Nasa contracts for more moon landings.


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Space

Sideways moon landing cuts short historic US Odysseus mission

The Odysseus lunar lander captured a wide field of view image of Schomberger crater on the moon. Photo: Intuitive Machines via Reuters

The Nova-C lander, called Odysseus, on the moon’s surface. Photo: Nasa via AFP 

The Odysseus spacecraft passing over the near side of the moon last Wednesday. Photo: Intuitive Machines via Reuters

Commercial US spaceship lands on moon, a historic first for private industry

The Intuitive Machines Odysseus lunar lander is seen over the near side of the moon on Wednesday. Photo: Intuitive Machines via AP

The Odysseus lunar lander with Earth in the background on February 16. Photo: Intuitive Machines via AP

Private US spacecraft lying on its side after historic moon landing, firm says

The Intuitive Machines IM-1 Nova-C lunar lander is seen in Houston in October 2023. The company is sending sending commands to the craft to acquire data. Photo: Intuitive Machines via AP, File

Private US moon lander launched half-century after last Apollo lunar mission

Liftoff from the Kennedy Space Centre in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photo: AFP

The IM-1 Nova-C lunar lander. Photo: Intuitive Machines via AP

Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander separating from the rocket’s upper stage and heading toward the moon. Photo: SpaceX-Nasa TV via AP

Odysseus mission: why it took the US 51 years to get back on the moon

Earth and the moon as seen from the Apollo 17 spacecraft, the final lunar landing mission of the Apollo programme in 1972. File photo: Getty Images

Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 Nova-C lunar lander. Photo: Intuitive Machines via AP

US astronaut Eugene Cernan was the last man to walk on the moon in 1972. File photo: Nasa

Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon landed upside down on the moon in January. Photo: JAXA via AP

News

World

United States & Canada

Private US lunar lander was supposed to operate on the moon for about seven days
Odysseus is the first US spacecraft to land on the moon in more than 50 years


Odysseus is the first US spacecraft to land on the moon in more than 50 years, carrying experiments for Nasa, the main sponsor.


United States

Florida

China's space programme

Japan

Sideways moon landing cuts short historic US Odysseus mission

.css-1mniedq{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;}Private US lunar lander was supposed to operate on the moon for about seven days Odysseus is the first US spacecraft to land on the moon in more than 50 years

Private US lunar lander was supposed to operate on the moon for about seven days

Odysseus is the first US spacecraft to land on the moon in more than 50 years