Intuitive Machines anticipates losing communication with the Odysseus moon lander on Tuesday morning, cutting short its mission just five days after its unconventional touchdown, the company disclosed on Monday.
Originally slated for a seven to 10-day mission on the moon, the spacecraft’s lifespan may be curtailed due to shortcuts and errors in pre-flight testing, culminating in an in-flight failure of its laser-guided range finders.
The incident highlights the consequences of skipping a crucial test firing of the laser system to expedite pre-flight checks, a decision made to save time and money.
The failure to unlock the lasers’ safety switch compounded the issue, leading to a critical glitch detected only hours before the final descent, prompting flight controllers to scramble for an improvised solution to prevent a potential crash-landing.
Despite its suboptimal touchdown and the subsequent loss of some functionality, Odysseus achieved several milestones, including becoming the first U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon in nearly five decades.
However, Intuitive Machines faces the challenge of analyzing the impact of the mishap on the overall mission, which received funding from NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.