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Earth Machine Odysseus Lands on Moon, Falls Over
February 29th, 2024
Intuitive Machines achieved a noteworthy milestone by becoming the first private company to successfully perform a soft landing on the moon with its Odysseus lander, doing so without crashing—a feat previously accomplished by only five nations since the 1960s. In February 2024, the lander made its lunar arrival, managing to touch down near the moon's south pole. Unfortunately, during the landing, Odysseus was compromised when it damaged a leg and tipped over, affecting its ability to gather solar power and communicate with Earth. Despite this setback, the lander outlasted its expected lifespan, even in this compromised position.
To grasp the situation better, flight controllers commanded Odysseus to take additional photographs using its specialized camera. These final images were successfully transmitted back to Earth, allowing the team to assess the lander's position and condition. These last efforts, however, drained the lander's batteries, prompting the command for the lander to enter a standby mode. This energy-saving measure may allow Odysseus to revive after the harsh lunar night, estimated to last two to three weeks.
Before this dormancy, Odysseus was able to send a parting image which captured the moon's rugged terrain with the Earth and sun visible in the background, a picture described as fitting for its farewell transmission. Initially, the lander's mission was to persist for about a week, an expectation it surpassed despite its challenges.
The mission carried six experiments for NASA, which invested $118 million for the ride as part of the agency's commercial lunar delivery program. This program envisions private landers like Odysseus as precursors paving the way for future astronaut missions. Before this private-level achievement, the last U.S. moon landing dated back to the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
The success of Intuitive Machines signals a promising future for private space explorations and their role in expanding human presence on the moon. The event marks a significant point of progress since the company managed a successful landing where another company's lander failed and returned to Earth earlier that January. With this in mind, the expectations for the resumption of the Odysseus lander, once it emerges from its long rest, are filled with anticipation.
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💭 Discussion Questions
1
. What are the implications of private companies such as Intuitive Machines successfully performing tasks previously managed only by nation-states in the realm of space exploration?2
. Considering Odysseus’s landing incident and subsequent challenges, how do you think resilience and adaptability played a role in the success of the mission beyond its initial week-long life expectancy?3
. How might the experience of Intuitive Machines with the Odysseus lander shape the strategies and preparations for future private lunar missions?📖 Vocabulary
🌐 Cultural context
The article is from a country with an established space program, involving both governmental and private sectors. Private space exploration has become a prominent aspect of the nation's ambitions in space.
🧠 Further reading
Commercial Lunar Payload Services
NASA has launched an ambitious program called Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS), which engages private companies to dispatch robotic landers and rovers to the Moon. These investigations are primarily concentrated around the Moon's South Pole and aim to conduct resource reconnaissance, experiment with in situ resource utilization (ISRU), and expand lunar scientific knowledge in preparation for the Artemis lunar program.
CLPS has adopted a commercial approach which includes purchasing comprehensive payload services that cover the entire journey from Earth to the Moon using fixed-price contracts. Looking forward, the initiative is set to grow, encompassing larger payloads post-2025.
Overseen by multiple directorates within NASA, including the Science Mission Directorate, Human Exploration and Operations, and the Space Technology Mission Directorate, CLPS obligates contracted companies to handle all aspects of the mission. These tasks encompass integrating payloads safely, transportation, and operations on the lunar surface, complete with launch vehicles, lunar landers, Earth return mechanisms, and more. Up to the current moment, eight missions have been secured under CLPS, despite setbacks including a revoked contract and one cancellation following a company's bankruptcy.
CLPS has a foundation deeply rooted in NASA’s long-term planning for lunar exploration and exploitation of its resources. The program originated after the cancellation of the Resource Prospector rover project in April 2018, which led to a paradigm shift in NASA's approach towards utilizing commercial entities for lunar surface missions. Starting with a nascent solicitation for lunar flights, CLPS evolved rapidly from an initial draft request for proposals to a formalized call for submissions by November of the same year.
Ispace (Japanese company)
ispace Inc. is a pioneering Japanese company in the aerospace sector focused on developing sophisticated robotics and spacecraft. Their aim is to facilitate the exploration, mapping, and utilization of the Moon's natural resources for their clients. The organization has its main office located in Tokyo and has expanded with branches in the United States and Luxembourg. Takeshi Hakamada, the entrepreneurial spirit behind ispace, serves as the CEO and guide of the company's vision.
The origins of ispace can be traced back to its connections with an entity called White Label Space (WLS), which was a collective of space engineers aiming to claim the coveted US$20 million Google Lunar X Prize. This challenge involved landing a spacecraft on the lunar surface and having it travel at least 500 meters. WLS had its base in the Netherlands and worked under the leadership of Steve Allen, focusing on the lunar lander's development. Simultaneously, their Japanese partners focused on creating a lunar rover. Takeshi Hakamada played a pivotal role in overseeing the business and technological advancements for the Japanese team during this period.
In 2010, amid these global partnerships, White Label Space Japan LLC was established by Hakamada to handle the Japanese team's endeavors. The venture took a pivotal turn on January 30, 2013, when the European contingent scaled back their involvement. The torch was then passed to the Japanese team, which decided to forge ahead independently, resulting in the transfer of the Google Lunar X Prize participation rights.
Following these strategic shifts, the White Label Space Japan company rebranded itself as ispace in May 2013. Meanwhile, the team itself took on a new identity as "Hakuto" a few months after. Despite not accomplishing the lunar mission within the timeframe of the Google Lunar X Prize, the team's passion and drive for lunar exploration lived on. Even after the competition had concluded, ispace persisted in its lunar-focused endeavors, maintaining its course towards the stars.
Artemis program
The Artemis program, masterminded by NASA, aims to bring humans back to the lunar surface, a feat not accomplished since 1972. This initiative, charted since 2017, looks to go beyond mere footprints and flags—it envisions setting up a sustained base on the Moon, serving as a springboard for future expeditions to Mars.
Borrowing heavily from the defunct Constellation program, Artemis has repurposed the Orion spacecraft and breathed new life into the heavy-lift rocket concept with the Space Launch System, which is reminiscent of the earlier Ares V. Furthermore, this ambitious program incorporates a space station dubbed the Lunar Gateway, and is working on a Human Landing System with a mix of government agencies and private sector players, all interlinked by the Artemis Accords and strategic government contracts.
The program relies on Space Launch System, Orion, and the Human Landing System as its core components for space travel, while the Lunar Gateway is set to facilitate longer-term human habitation. Besides these, Artemis is undergirded by various support structures, including commercial lunar payload delivery services, the development of the VIPER rover, establishment of ground infrastructure, a so-called Artemis Base Camp on the Moon itself, lunar rovers, and specialized spacesuits. While it harbors grand aspirations, the program has not escaped criticism, particularly regarding the sustainability of its orbit path and overall viability.
Orion's maiden voyage atop the Space Launch System was delayed until its successful deployment on November 16, 2022, in the uncrewed Artemis 1 mission, signaling new horizons for lunar exploration. As planned, Artemis 2, which will be crewed, is eyeing a late 2025 launch window, followed by a human lunar landing in 2026 under Artemis 3. Sequential missions are outlined, with Artemis 4 set to rendezvous with the Lunar Gateway in 2028, paving the way for