Odysseus Touches Down on the Moon

Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus spacecraft, the first American spaceship to land on the Moon since Apollo, performed a stunning landing near the lunar south pole.
The conquest was eclipsed by its sideways position, likely sliding during landing.
At 9:32 p.m. EST on Thursday, the lunar landing was nerve-wracking. Ground teams switched to a backup guiding system and had to act. A foot on the lunar surface may have caused the hexagonal spaceship to flip over and land horizontally on a small rock, according to CEO Steve Altemus on Friday.
Due to landing issues, an external camera was not installed to record the landing. Due to navigation challenges, Intuitive Machines developers had to quickly design a software patch and swap it to a NASA experiment laser guidance system. After the switch safety accident, Odysseus’ laser system failed.
The solar arrays are on top of the ship, but the antennas are downward, making it difficult to communicate science experiment data down to Earth. Odysseus lost its three landers, but a new fleet of NASA-funded lunar landers was successful in conducting science experiments and preparing for the return of American astronauts to the Moon under the Artemis program later this decade.
NASA awarded Intuitive Machines $118 million to conduct six studies as part of a public-private cooperation to outsource cargo services. The spacecraft carries Columbia Sportswear reflective heat covering and private cargo. US and international partners want to build permanent communities on the Moon’s south pole. Mining the ice will provide drinking water and fuel for future Mars missions.
Despite the obstacles and Odysseus’ unpleasant position, private firms advance lunar exploration. With the globe as a spectator, the mission joins the space race and launches future moon and cosmic exploration.