Produced by: Tarun Mishra Designed by: Muskan Arora
Intuitive Machine's IM-1 mission faces a setback as their spacecraft, Odysseus, enters sleep mode on the lunar surface due to diminishing sunlight at the south pole region, marking the onset of the prolonged lunar night.
After commanding Odysseus to enter sleep mode, engineers received a final transmission from the spacecraft, capturing an image of Earth's crescent against the lunar backdrop, symbolizing humanity's cosmic presence.
Intuitive Machines plans to program Odysseus to initiate contact with ground control in Houston once it receives sufficient solar power, anticipating a potential awakening in three weeks with the next lunar sunrise.
Despite initial projections of power depletion on Wednesday night, Odysseus continued operating into Thursday morning, prompting engineers to retrieve the final data transmission before potential loss of contact.
Despite plummeting temperatures in the south polar region, akin to Japan's Slim mission, which endured the lunar night earlier this year, engineers remain hopeful for Odysseus' reactivation.
Odysseus, a Nova-C-class lander, embarked on its lunar journey on Feb. 15 aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX, successfully landing on the moon's surface after a tense descent marred by navigational glitches.
Intuitive Machines attributed a navigational error to a pre-launch safety switch oversight, hindering the activation of essential range finders during the descent, leading to Odysseus landing in a tilted position.
As Odysseus enters its dormancy phase, engineers remain vigilant for any signs of reactivation, with hopes pinned on the spacecraft's resilience amid the lunar environment, underscoring the challenges and uncertainties inherent in space exploration endeavours.