It wasn't long after the spacecraft built and operated by Intuitive Machines in Houston entered orbit Feb. 15 that it began beaming back images to Earth of dazzling astral vistas. Even while Odysseus was on the verge of losing power after toppling over upon landing a week ago, the lander still was able to transmit images to flight controllers of the unexplored south pole region of the moon.
The unforeseen sideways landing hampered communications and hindered the spacecraft's ability to generate solar power, but still it defied the odds as it persisted. Intuitive Machines expected Odysseus would lose power Wednesday night when lunar nighttime set in, CEO Steve Altemus said at a Wednesday press conference.
The lander, nicknamed "Odie" by its creators, sent its last photo Thursday afternoon, an image captured Feb. 22 that "showcases the crescent Earth in the backdrop, a subtle reminder of humanity’s presence in the universe," Intuitive Machines posted on X, formerly known as Twitter. "Goodnight, Odie. We hope to hear from you again."
Before its power was depleted, Odysseus completed a fitting farewell transmission. Received today, this image from February 22nd showcases the crescent Earth in the backdrop, a subtle reminder of humanity’s presence in the universe.
The team hopes to wake Odysseus back up in about three weeks when the sun returns for solar noon, whereby it reaches its highest point in the sky and provides some power-generating rays.
Here are some photos of Odysseus' *ahem* odyssey on the way to becoming the first commercially-built spacecraft to ever make it to the moon. It's lunar landing also signals America's return to the moon for the first time since the Apollo era came to an end in 1972 as NASA eyes future moon missions with its Artemis program.
See photos of Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lunar lander
Intuitive Machines built and operated the Nova-C lander, which is pictured in October. The hexagonal craft is a 14-foot-tall with six legs.
The Odysseus lunar lander hitched a ride to orbit aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which launched at 1:05 a.m. EST Feb. 15 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Intuitive Machines' IM-1 mission is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program to understand more about the Moon's surface ahead of the U.S. space agency's coming Artemis missions.
Earth can be seen in the background of this image, which was captured shortly after the Odysseus lander named for the hero of Homer's epic Greek poem "The Odyssey" separated from SpaceX's second stage As the mission's primary customer, NASA paid Intuitive Machines $118 million to take its scientific payloads to study the moon as it prepares to send astronauts back to the lunar surface in the years ahead.
Intuitive Machines' Odysseus moon lander beamed home its first images Feb. 16 a day after liftoff. Intuitive Machines also served customers like Columbia Sportswear, which wanted to test a metallic jacket fabric as a thermal insulator on the lander.
This image obtained Monday shows Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lunar lander approximately 35 seconds after pitching over during its approach to the landing site. The camera is on the starboard aft-side of the lander in this phase. Ground controllers work to download data and surface photos from the uncrewed robot before it died.
The Odysseus lunar lander can be seen Thursday, Feb. 22 in this image taken as it lands the south pole region of the Moon. The unexplored region of the moon is though to be abundant water ice, which would be vital as NASA looks to establish a permanent human presence on and around the moon ahead of future missions to Mars.
NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter later confirmed the precise location of Odysseus' landing site, which serves as the southernmost location where any craft has ever landed on the moon, Intuitive Machines said. Based on the orbiter's photos, Odysseus landed within about a mile of its intended target near the Malapert A crater, just 185 miles from the moon’s south pole.
This image provided by Intuitive Machines shows a broken landing leg on the Odysseus lander. The lander touched down near the moon's south pole on Feb. 22 but then fell over on its side, hampering communications. Odysseus carried an Apollo-era U.S. flag donated by NASA, which can also be seen in this photo.
Flight controllers commanded Odysseus to capture a new image using its narrow-field-of-view camera. After successfully transmitting the image to Earth, flight controllers received additional insight into Odysseus’ position on the lunar surface. The image shows how the Odysseus lunar lander appeared to land at a 30 degree angle, propped up on a slope on the surface of the moon.
This image obtained Wednesday shows the Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lunar lander landing strut performing its primary task, absorbing first contact with the lunar surface. For NASA, the mission has successfully laid the groundwork for the U.S. space agency to work with more commercial entities on future space endeavors.
A fisheye view of the Odysseus landing strut absorbing first contact with the lunar surface. "We've fundamentally changed the economics of landing on the moon," Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus said. "It's really a point in history that we should celebrate."
Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. Reach him at [email protected]
