First images from Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus

An intuitive machine The Odysseus cargo lander returned the first images from the lunar surface over the weekend as the spacecraft touched down at its lunar destination.

The company’s historic IM-1 mission is now operating on the lunar surface after landing on Thursday, making it the first privately developed spacecraft to make a soft landing on the lunar surface.

Intuitive Machines initially reported that Odysseus was standing upright. But company executives said in an update late Friday that they believe the rover’s landing gear got stuck sideways as it touched down on the moon, causing it to tip over.

Even though Odysseus is resting on his side, he is still sending data back. Intuitive Machines expects Odysseus to operate until Tuesday morning, when its solar panels will no longer be exposed to sunlight.

Intuitive Machines stock fell 35% in Monday trading, closing at $6.27 per share.

The Odysseus lander carries 12 government and commercial payloads, six of which were delivered to NASA under a $118 million contract through NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Ta.

NASA leaders emphasized that the IM-1 mission was still a success despite the rover’s fall, calling the landing a “huge accomplishment.”

One of the payloads, EagleCam, is a small camera developed by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. EagleCam was originally scheduled to be ejected during the final moments of Odysseus’ landing to capture the first images of the moon landing from outside the spacecraft, but problems with the lander’s navigation system prevented the camera from deploying. Embry-Riddle’s team said Intuitive Machines plans to continue releasing Eagle cams from the lander.

Below are some of the first images from the landing.

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