Before it succumbs, a lunar rover that became tilted over was able to transmit additional images from Cape Canaveral, Florida.

Intuitive Machines uploaded fresh images of the uncharted southern polar area of the moon on Tuesday.

Last Thursday, the company’s lander named Odysseus successfully took pictures before becoming the first U.S. spacecraft to land on the moon in over 50 years. However, Odysseus landed on its side, causing problems with communication and power production.

Once the lander’s solar panels are no longer able receive sunlight, its operations will come to an end. Intuitive Machines predicts this will occur between Tuesday afternoon and early Wednesday. This mission is part of NASA’s initiative to enhance the lunar economy and was originally planned to continue until at least Thursday, when lunar nighttime begins. NASA has included six experiments on the lander.

Intuitive Machines achieved the feat of becoming the first private company to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon without any accidents. While another American company also launched its own lunar lander in the previous month, the mission was unfortunately unsuccessful due to a fuel leak, resulting in the craft crashing back to Earth.

___

The Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group provides support for the Associated Press Health and Science Department. The AP is solely responsible for the creation of all content.

Source: wral.com