The power of the American lunar lander Odysseus lasts only a few hours

The commercial American lunar lander Odysseus can only provide images of the moon for a few hours due to a power shortage. In the morning, Odysseus “efficiently sent scientific data and images,” the company Intuitive Machines said on Tuesday.

Battery life is currently ten to twenty hours. However, flight control is still in contact with Odysseus and is “working on the final determination” of his battery charge, according to the message from Intuitive Machines in the online service X.

The lander, built by Intuitive Machines, arrived on the moon on Thursday. It sent the first photos of the moon on Monday. It was the first U.S. moon landing since the end of the partially manned Apollo program more than fifty years ago and the first ever landing of a commercial probe on Earth’s satellite. There had also never been a landing so far south on the moon before.

However, during landing, one of Odysseus’ legs became stuck on the moon’s surface, causing the device to tip sideways. “However, Odysseus continues to communicate with flight control,” Intuitive Machines said on Monday. Despite lying on his side, Odysseus received electricity from his solar panels.

Due to the sideways position of the lunar lander, its mission will likely be shortened somewhat. According to the original plan, Odysseus had to transmit data for seven days, including temperature and radiation measurements and soil research.

The purpose of the mission called IM-1 is to investigate the requirements for manned lunar missions in the area around the lunar crater Malapert A. The American space agency NASA wants to return astronauts to the moon in 2026 with its Artemis program. Odysseus has several NASA devices on board. The space agency paid Intuitive Machines $118 million for the transportation.

NASA wants to hire private companies for future cargo flights to the moon. The Earth satellite will also be a stopover for future crewed flights to Mars. The South Pole is a candidate for a lunar base camp because its ice could potentially be used to produce drinking water and rocket fuel. (sda/afp)