The Odysseus ship 'sleeps forever' on the Moon after its historic landing

Intuitive Machines announced that the unmanned lander Odysseus could not "wake up" and became the first private spacecraft to "permanently sleep" on the Moon.

Image provided by Intuitive Machines on February 28, 2024 shows the Odysseus lander approaching the Moon's surface. (Photo: AFP/TTXVN)

According to Intuitive Machines, the Odysseus has not been in contact with the operations center on Earth for the past week , although experts estimate that the ship's solar panels will accumulate enough sunlight to operate. return.

The Odysseus landed at an angle when it landed on the Moon on February 22. Although the landing position was not favorable, Odysseus was still able to complete some tests and send back to Earth some images that the ship recorded on the Moon, before being covered by darkness forcing the ship to "go to sleep". ". 

One night on the Moon is equivalent to 14 nights on Earth. Intuitive Machines hopes that Odysseus can "wake up" after receiving sunlight again, like the extraordinary feat that Japan's SLIM spacecraft did last month after landing upside down. reverse. However, that miracle did not happen.

On the evening of March 23, Intuitive Machines said that after many days of waiting, operators confirmed that the electrical system of the Odysseus was no longer working . Intuitive Machines' announcement stated: ' This confirms that Odysseus has passed away forever after making its mark in history as the first commercial lander to land on the Moon'.

Both Intuitive Machines and the US Space Agency (NASA) assessed that Odysseus successfully carried out its mission, although the ship encountered many problems along the way, including capsizing when landing.

The Odysseus landing marked the first time an American spacecraft landed on the Moon since the manned Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

Intuitive Machines said the company spent about $100 million on the Odysseus lander, and also received $118 million from NASA under a bilateral cooperation agreement, aiming to return American astronauts to the Moon by the end of the decade. this century.