The history-making robot likely caught its foot on contact with the lunar surface and fell sideways.
The US spacecraft, which made history on Thursday by becoming the first ever privately built and operated robot to complete a soft lunar touchdown, is otherwise in good condition.
Fortuitously, all the scientific instruments that planned to take observations on the Moon are on the side of Odysseus facing up, which should allow them to do some work. The only payload on the "wrong side" of the lander, pointing down at the lunar surface, is a static art project. A US space agency satellite called the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter will search for Odysseus this weekend to confirm its whereabouts.
Six CLPS missions were planned for this year. The first, by Pittsburgh-based firm Astrobotic, ended in failure. Its Peregrine lander developed technical problems en route to the Moon and gave up the opportunity of a touchdown. The robot was brought back to burn up in Earth's atmosphere.Intuitive Machines has two further missions in prospect for 2024. The next will see a robot drill into the surface.
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