According to initial findings, the commercial US lunar lander ‘Odysseus’ apparently fell over during landing and remained on its side. His company believes that ‘Odysseus’ got stuck on a rock during landing and fell on its side, Steve Altemus, head of private space company Intuitive Machines, said at a news conference on Friday (local time).
Previous information that the four-meter-high probe was upright was based on a misinterpretation of data. Despite its lateral position, the lunar probe receives power from its solar panels, Altemus emphasizes. It is possible that the planned scientific experiments commissioned by the American space agency NASA can still be carried out. Engineers hope a NASA probe can take pictures of “Odysseus” this weekend to pinpoint its exact location.
First commercial moon landing
Odysseus landed on the moon on Thursday. It was the first American moon landing since the end of the Apollo program more than fifty years ago and the first landing of a commercial probe ever.
In the lunar crater Malapert A, which is located 300 kilometers from the moon’s south pole, the probe will carry out temperature and radiation measurements and soil research for a week. The purpose of the mission called IM-1 is to investigate the requirements for manned lunar missions in the area. NASA wants to bring astronauts to the moon in 2026 with its Artemis program.
Data transmission limited by lying on your side
According to company boss Altemus, “Ulysses”’s ability to send data to Earth is limited by its supposed juxtaposition. The radio antennas were apparently pointed toward the ground, making communication with Earth more difficult.
‘Odysseus’ has several NASA devices on board, including cameras that are intended, among other things, to investigate changes in the ground caused by the dust blown up during landing. NASA paid Intuitive Machines $118 million (almost €109 million) for the transport. The mission will last seven days.
NASA plans a stopover on the moon
NASA promotes lunar flights by private companies for later use for cargo flights. With their help, she also wants to equip the moon as a stopover for future manned flights to Mars. The South Pole is a candidate for a lunar base camp because its ice could potentially be used to produce drinking water and rocket fuel.
Source: Krone
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