In a significant setback for U.S. space exploration, the spacecraft Odysseus, marking the nation’s first lunar landing in over 50 years, encountered a critical power failure on Thursday. This event occurred as it braved the extreme cold of the lunar night, signaling a premature end to its primary mission. This setback followed a challenging touchdown on the lunar surface last week, which compromised some of its scientific objectives.
Odysseus, constructed by Texas-based Intuitive Machines for $118 million under a NASA contract, made its lunar landing a week prior. Despite hopes for a 10-day operational span, a problematic landing that left the spacecraft in a tilted position affected its communication capabilities and the functionality of its solar charging system.
The lander, a Nova-C-class craft standing four meters tall, embarked on its journey to the moon aboard a Falcon 9 rocket, courtesy of SpaceX, on February 15 from the Kennedy Space Center. It entered lunar orbit six days post-launch, but its landing was marred by a last-minute navigational hiccup and a descent that culminated in an unintended angular position upon touchdown.
Intuitive Machines attributed the navigational error to a manual oversight involving a safety switch that wasn’t unlocked before the launch, affecting the activation of the lander’s laser-guided range finders. This led to a hurriedly devised alternative approach during the lunar orbit, a decision that came under scrutiny for its impact on the landing’s outcome.
Despite these challenges, NASA was able to retrieve data from the lander’s six scientific instruments and several commercial payloads, though the full extent of the data loss remains uncertain.
On the financial front, Intuitive Machines saw a 3% decline in its stock value on Thursday, with a significant drop over the week, reflecting investor reactions to the mission’s difficulties.
The Odysseus mission was a landmark event, being the first U.S. spacecraft to make a lunar landing since the Apollo missions and the first commercial lunar landing under NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to send astronauts back to the moon within this decade. This incident follows Japan’s recent lunar landing, which faced a similar fate with its lander tipping over.
This event not only underscores the challenges of lunar exploration but also marks a pivotal moment in the commercialization of space missions, setting the stage for future endeavors in lunar exploration and beyond.
