The Odysseus mission will soon run out of power, and Japan’s first lunar module suddenly «woke up» after a two-week night

Last week, the Intuitive Machine’s Odysseus spacecraft finally landed on the moon, although the mission was not without its challenges — the team reported on problems with the switch, who was supposed to activate the lasers for a safe landing.

Fortunately, the spacecraft had an experimental NASA navigation system on board, and engineers developed a last-minute software patch to get the necessary altitude and speed data from it and ensure a safe landing.

Despite all the efforts, Intuitive Machines eventually reported that Odysseus was on its side and its solar panels were facing the wrong way — as of Monday evening, the module was still sending data and images, but it is likely to run out of power today (there have been no new reports on the mission’s performance so far).

Flight controllers intend to collect data until the lander’s solar panels are no longer exposed to light. Based on Earth and Moon positioning, we believe flight controllers will continue to communicate with Odysseus until Tuesday morning. Image credit: NASA/Goddard/Arizona State… pic.twitter.com/FFt8CXZPIC

— Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) February 26, 2024

Meanwhile, Japan’s SLIM module experienced a similar issue during landing, suddenly «woke up» after a long moonlit night and sent a signal on Sunday evening.

JAXA called it a «miracle» because the device was not designed to survive a lunar night (a lunar night lasts two Earth weeks, and temperatures in the region can reach -170 °C, which is potentially dangerous for SLIM’s electronics).

The landing of the module on January 20 on the Moon made Japan the 5th country to do so. However, SLIM turned over more than necessary — as a result, its solar panels were turned in the wrong direction. A week later, JAXA reported that it had restored communication with the spacecraft, and it began working before going into «hibernation».

JAXA says Sunday’s signal was short because it was still «lunar midday» and SLIM had a very high temperature, around 100 °C. The space agency plans to re-establish contact when the device cools down.