Odyssey’s sideways fall shortens its mission to the Moon

The US return to the Moon after more than 50 years did not have the expected success. The Odyssey module fell on its side when reaching the Moon, and this fact caused a change in plans. Intuitive Machines said mission control engineers expect a loss of communications with the craft on Tuesday, which would mean a mission abort just five days after it landed. The company acknowledged that the drop limits the amount of charge the battery can charge and therefore shortens its mission to the Moon. “Flight controllers intend to collect data until the lander’s solar panels are no longer exposed to light. Given the positions of the Earth and Moon, we believe that flight controllers They will continue to communicate with Odysseus until Tuesday morning.

“, the company noted. This means 2-3 days less than originally planned.

Human errors

The company’s expectations about the need to reduce the mission arose after new details emerged about Possible human errors that could lead to failure during the spacecraft’s laser-guided rangefinder flight before its landing last Thursday. An Intuitive Machines spokesperson detailed that the loss of the rangefinders was due to the company’s decision to forego pre-launch testing of the laser system to save time and money during checks before Odyssey’s flight to the Space Center. NASA’s Kennedy in Florida. “Definitely, There were things we could do to test and film it.. “They would take a lot of time and money,” said Mike Hansen, head of the company’s navigation systems division, in an interview with the publication on Saturday. Reuters. “So there was a risk that as a company that we admitted and assumed.”

Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus admitted that the ship “stuck one foot on the surface, bent over and landed on his side.” By the time of landing on the Moon there was already a long wait, indicating some kind of error. However, the module has been running for at least several days. Even under the best of Odysseus circumstances, He only had one week to work on the surface before the long moonlit night arrived. Intuitive Machines executives suggested that speed of the spacecraft upon landing, which was about twice as much as expected, could have been a stumbling block. But it is unknown whether the use of original laser rangefinders could change the situation. The ship’s sideways position limited the exposure of its solar panels to sunlight needed to recharge its batteries. Except, its two antennas were directed towards the ground, thereby preventing communication with the terrifying. According to NASA, the lander ended up in a small, destroyed crater with a slope of 12 degrees. Despite the failure, this is the closest the spacecraft has ever come to the Moon’s south pole.

Intuitive machines stated that spent about $100 million on landing and which received $118 million from NASA as part of the commercial lunar payload servicing program.