US spacecraft Odysseus stops working on moon a week after tipping over at touchdown

Before its power was depleted, Odysseus sent this photo in its farewell transmission from Earth's moon. Photo / AP

The first US spacecraft to land on the moon since the Apollo astronauts fell silent today, a week after breaking a leg at touchdown and tipping over near the lunar south pole.

Intuitive Machines’ lander, Odysseus, lasted longer than the company anticipated after it ended up on its side with hobbled solar power and communication.

The end came as flight controllers received one last photo from Odysseus and commanded its computer and power systems to standby. That way, the lander can wake up in another two to three weeks – if it survives the bitterly cold lunar night. Intuitive Machines spokesman Josh Marshall said these final steps drained the lander’s batteries and put Odysseus “down for a long nap”.

Flight controllers commanding the Odysseus lunar lander to capture a new image using its narrow-field-of-view camera. Photo / AP

“Good night, Odie. We hope to hear from you again,” the company said via X, formerly Twitter.

Before losing power, Odysseus sent back what Intuitive Machines called “a fitting farewell transmission”.

Taken just before touchdown, the picture shows the bottom of the lander on the moon’s pockmarked surface, with a tiny crescent Earth and a small sun in the background.

The lander was originally intended to last about a week at the moon.

The lander touched down near the moon's south pole on February 22 but then fell over on its side, hampering communications. Photo / AP

Houston-based Intuitive Machines became the first private business to land a spacecraft on the moon without crashing when Odysseus touched down February 22. Only five countries had achieved that since the 1960s, including Japan, which made a sideways landing last month.

Odysseus carried six experiments for Nasa, which paid US$118 million ($194m) for the ride. The first company to take part in Nasa’s programme for commercial lunar deliveries never made it to the moon; its lander came crashing back to Earth in January.

Nasa views these private landers as scouts that will pave the way for astronauts due to arrive in another few years.

Until Odysseus, the last US moon landing was by Apollo 17′s Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt in 1972.