US Odysseus Updates: Spacecraft Battery at Final Hours, Still Working

Odysseus is the first-ever US lunar lander. This was tilted over sideways recently. Though the spacecraft has tipped over, it still transmits images of the moon as the lander is near its final hours of its life. The pictures were taken shortly before the lander tilted.

US Odysseus Launch

The Odysseus moon lander was launched on February 15, 2024. This was the first ever US spacecraft to land on the moon's lunar surface. The lander initially had some navigational and communication issues, but the scientists/engineers had resolved them and were about to send pictures from the moon.

The Spacecraft Titled Over

On February 23, 2024, Intuitive Machines reported on its X page that the Odysseus spacecraft had tipped over on the lunar surface but was still operational.

Odysseus in Final Hours

Odysseus, the first-ever US spacecraft that has landed on the lunar surface after 50 years, has come to the end of its 5th day on the moon's surface, but it is still operational. According to flight controllers, its battery is in its final hours, and it is about to die very soon.

The lander's control centre is in contact with the company and has efficiently sent payload data and images. The Odysseus spacecraft reached the moon's surface on February 22 after a navigational glitch that caused the spacecraft to land on its sideways landing on its own feet.

Later, it was found that the sideway landing was due to some failure of the lander's laser-based range finders. The engineers found and resolved the issue on time, so the lander was saved from a potential crash. Recently, scientists have been working on the lander's communication and solar charging capability as the lander has only a few hours left before its battery dies, and it is still operational and sending images from the lunar surface.