Odysseus lander 'still kicking' on the moon, says Intuitive Machines

By James Rogers

Intuitive Machines' Odysseus spacecraft is the first commercial lander to successfully reach the lunar surface

Space exploration company Intuitive Machines Inc. says that its Odysseus spacecraft, the first commercial lander to successfully land on the moon, is still operating almost a week after its historic landing.

"Still kicking, Odysseus continues to operate on the lunar surface," the company wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, Thursday morning. "At approximately 1100 CST flight controllers intend to downlink additional data and command Odie into a configuration that he may phone home if and when he wakes up when the sun rises again."

Related: Odysseus lander makes history by reaching moon, as Intuitive Machines' stock rockets 35%

Odysseus reached the lunar surface on Feb. 22, sending the company's stock soaring. Intuitive Machines (LUNR) has had to overcome a number of challenges during the mission. Notably, the lander tipped over during its landing near the moon's south pole and earlier this week the company said that the mission would be cut short.

But on Wednesday Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus said that Odysseus is continuing to generate solar power. The company has also received data from all of Odysseus' 12 payloads, both NASA and commercial, according to the CEO.

Related: Odysseus has 'fundamentally changed the economics of landing on the moon,' says Intuitive Machines

Intuitive Machines shares are up 6.4% Thursday. The stock has gained 119.3% in the last three months, outpacing the S&P 500 index's SPX gain of 11.4%.

Odysseus is being put to sleep for the duration of the cold lunar night, which lasts approximately two Earth weeks.

Related: Intuitive Machines' Odysseus moon lander a catalyst for investor interest in space, analyst says

The IM-1 mission is carrying NASA instruments focusing on plume-surface interactions, space-weather and lunar-surface interactions, radio astronomy and precision-landing technologies, along with a communication and navigation node for future autonomous-navigation technologies, according to the space agency.

In January, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency's uncrewed Smart Lander for Investigating Moon, or SLIM, landed on the moon, but the probe appeared to be upside down on the lunar surface in an image taken by SLIM's rover. On Monday, JAXA confirmed that the SLIM probe had survived a two-week-long lunar night and had maintained its communication capabilities. SLIM's recovery from the cold lunar night was described as "remarkable" by Space.com.

-James Rogers

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02-29-24 1425ET

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