BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — In the first update since the Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lander touched down on the moon, we learned the lander named Odysseus tipped onto its side.
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On Thursday, Odysseus became the first commercial spacecraft to land on the moon.
It made a soft if imperfect landing at 6:24 pm EST.
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There were some technical issues along the way.
A problem with the lander’s navigation system forced the lander to rely on some experimental NASA technology to land near the lunar south pole, the navigation doppler lidar or NDL was used.
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Odysseus is carrying 5 other NASA science instruments, commercial payloads, and Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s EagleCam.
The lander is expected to be operational for about seven days.
Steve Altemus, the CEO of Intuitive Machines said today, “the vehicle is stable and near our intended landing site and we do have communications with the lander.”
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