Shares of Intuitive Machines Inc. continued their slide Monday as the space-exploration company revealed that its Odysseus moon-lander mission will be cut short.
Odysseus Mission Update
Odysseus marked a historic moment late Thursday as the first commercial lander to successfully land on the lunar surface. However, the stock took a hit in extended trades Friday after news emerged that the lander had tipped over during its landing near the moon’s south pole. Intuitive Machines’ LUNR shares are down 36.4% on Monday.
Stock Performance
This decline sets the stock on track for its largest percentage decrease since Feb. 23, 2023, when it fell by 75.24%, as per Dow Jones Market Data.
Continued Communication with Odysseus
Despite the challenges, Intuitive Machines provided an update stating, “Odysseus continues to communicate with flight controllers in Nova Control from the lunar surface.” The company mentioned that the lander sent images of its journey from vertical descent to landing site at Malapert A, making history by establishing communication with ground controllers at the furthest south point on the Moon.
Next Steps
Flight controllers aim to gather data until the lander's solar panels are no longer exposed to light. It is anticipated that communication with Odysseus will continue until Tuesday morning based on the positioning of Earth and the Moon.
Impact on Mission Duration
The Associated Press reported that the current situation falls short of NASA and other Intuitive Machines customers' expectations, as they were anticipating roughly a week of communication with the lander.
Mission Details
The IM-1 mission carries a range of NASA instruments focused on various areas including plume-surface interactions, space weather, lunar-surface interactions, radio astronomy, precision-landing technologies, and autonomous-navigation technologies for future missions, according to the space agency.
Commercial Moon Landings in Focus for NASA's Artemis Program
Commercial moon landings play a crucial role in NASA's Artemis moon-exploration program, serving as key scouting missions. NASA has set ambitious targets for its upcoming missions, aiming for a crewed Artemis mission around the moon in September 2025, followed by a mission to land astronauts near the lunar south pole in September 2026.
Previous Attempts and recent success
While past private ventures like Israel's Beresheet and Japan's Hakuto-R encountered challenges in achieving successful landings on the moon, recent developments have shown promising signs. Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) made a significant breakthrough in January, successfully touching down on the lunar surface. Despite an initially concerning image showing the probe upside down, SLIM managed to survive a two-week lunar night and maintained its communication capabilities, earning praise for its "remarkable" recovery.
Ongoing Endeavors
Another U.S. space company, Astrobotic Technology, faced setbacks in its mission to deploy its Peregrine lander on the moon, highlighting the complexities of lunar exploration. However, companies like Intuitive Machines remain committed to advancing lunar research through initiatives like NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS). Intuitive's Nova-C lander is poised to undertake three missions to the moon, each featuring unique vehicle modifications to enhance performance and data collection.
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