'Odysseus' Lunar Landing Mission Nears Completion

Telemetry from the Nova-C moon lander will end as it conducts a 'quiet power down,' Intuitive Machines said.

Wednesday, February 28, 2024 at 04:56 PM ET

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Upon landing, the Nova-C lander tilted over slowly and came to rest at an angle about 30 degrees above the surface. [Courtesy: Intuitive Machines]

Key Takeaways:

Intuitive Machines' *Odysseus* lunar lander is concluding its mission, marking the first successful private moon landing and returning the U.S. to the lunar surface after more than 50 years.
The lander, which touched down in the moon's South Pole region on February 22, came to rest at a 30-degree angle but successfully transmitted data from all its NASA research payloads.
Power for the lander is degrading and expected to run out soon, though there's a potential opportunity to attempt repowering in approximately three weeks when sunlight returns to its solar panels.

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Six days on the moon’s surface and 13 days after launch, the Odysseus private lunar landing mission that put the U.S. back on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years is drawing to a close.

Intuitive Machines’ IM-1 mission mad e history for completing the first successful moon landing by a company when its Nova-C autonomous lander Odysseus reached the South Pole region on February 22.