A report from Intuitive Machines, the company in charge of this technology, said that the device was left lying on its half side and although this ‘stumble’ did not completely disable it, the mission could end two or three days before planned.
Flight controllers are working on the final determination of the lander’s battery life, which may continue for an additional 10 to 20 hours,” the company said in a message on the X social network on Tuesday.
They also reiterated that those controllers intend to collect data until the module’s solar panels are no longer exposed to light.
Earlier this week, Odysseus sent back the first images of the environment around its location on the Moon and captured the photograph about 35 seconds after launching on its approach to the landing site.
The rover’s camera is on the starboard aft side of the lander for this part of the mission, the company said.
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