Odysseus’ historic moon mission comes to an end, for now

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Officials announced that the lunar lander has downloaded data from all payloads and will go to sleep February 28, but possibly reawaken later.

Odysseus has exceeded engineers’ expectations during its odyssey on the moon. NASA confirmed that the spindly solar-powered robotic lander, built and operated by the Houston-based private U.S. company Intuitive Machines, has been alive and collecting data since it touched down, and toppled over, on the lunar surface on February 22.

Despite the mishap, “our navigation system landed us with precision and the shock absorbers took the load,” Altemus said. “The landing gear did what it was supposed to do and protect the lander as it landed on the surface.” The main limiting factor to whether Odysseus comes back online will be its batteries; their chemistry-based technology will struggle with the extreme temperature plunge of lunar night. “We’re confident that when the sun comes back up, the solar arrays will energize and they’ll send power,” said Crain. “The real question is, ‘Are the batteries there to receive that power and pass it on?’”

 

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