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Mission to the Moon: Intuitive Machines’ Fate Sealed as Lander Topples Too Soon

Intuitive Machines Odysseus Descending
Intuitive Machines’ first moon mission will come to a premature end due to the spacecraft landing on its side, which altered how the solar panels are positioned in relation to the sun, the company said in an update Tuesday morning. Intuitive Machines made history when it landed its spacecraft, called Odysseus, near the lunar south pole last week. The lander is the first American hardware to touch the lunar surface since NASA’s final crewed Apollo mission in 1972. It’s also the first privately built and operated spacecraft to land on the moon — ever – and the closest a lander has ever come to the lunar south pole. Intuitive Machines and NASA leadership will host a second televised news conference tomorrow to discuss updates to the mission.