Private lunar lander sends back first pics from its moon landing

A privately built spacecraft on the moon has beamed back new photos from the lunar surface, showing the vehicle’s much-celebrated descent and the moments immediately after touchdown when it tipped over on its side.

The Odysseus lander, built by Houston-based Intuitive Machines, landed on the moon on Feb. 22, making history as the first commercial craft to reach the lunar surface and the first U.S. spacecraft on the moon in more than 50 years.

The following day, Intuitive Machines said Odysseus had pitched over when it touched down near a crater called Malapert A, close to the moon’s south pole. Company officials said the 14-foot-tall lander was operational but that some of the spacecraft’s antennas were pointing at the ground, limiting its ability to communicate with flight controllers back on Earth.

In an update Monday, Intuitive Machines said it continues to be in contact with the spacecraft, adding that flight controllers “intend to collect data until the lander’s solar panels are no longer exposed to light.”

Company officials said that based on the positions of Earth and the moon, they expect to be able to communicate with Odysseus until Tuesday morning. The lander was initially expected to spend about a week collecting data on the moon before lunar night sets in and the probe loses power.

In its latest update, the company said Odysseus’ instruments detected nine safe landing sites within its targeted zone near the moon’s south pole. The moon’s south polar region has long intrigued scientists because water ice is thought to be relatively abundant in permanently shadowed craters.