Mission IM-1: the private American probe placed on the Moon finally closed

The first private probe to land on the Moon, Odyssey, has finally stopped after a month on the star, US company Intuitive Machines reported on X (formerly Twitter).

The probe was put to sleep at the end of its main mission, after 7 days on the Moon, but Intuitive Machines engineers had to try to contact it again at the end of the lunar night, as soon as the sun reappeared.

Ultimately, it did not turn on again, as explained Saturday by the young Texas company, which assured, using its probe’s nickname: “Odie is gone forever. “In any case, it was very unclear whether the device’s batteries would withstand the frost of a moonlit night.

“Success” according to NASA

On February 22, Odyssey became the first private probe to land on the Moon and the first American spacecraft to do so since the end of the Apollo program in 1972.

However, after an eventful descent, a navigation system failure left it tilted on the lunar surface near the south pole. But some of his solar panels were still able to continue functioning and supply him with energy.

Odyssey transmitted photographs and scientific data, particularly that collected by NASA’s onboard instruments. NASA and Intuitive Machines called the probe’s stay on the Moon a success.