The SLIM and Odysseus landers are inactive during a moonlit night
After successful lunar landings, Intuitive Machines' SLIM and Odysseus spacecraft are now in a state of inactivity during a two-week lunar night. Both spacecraft sent their last data back home before going into sleep mode.
Here's What We Know
SLIM, which made its lunar descent on January 19, had already surpassed its expected lifespan before going into hibernation. Odysseus, on the other hand, which landed on 22 February, is in its first lunar night.
Both spacecraft sustained damage on landing, making it difficult for them to survive the lunar night. SLIM flipped over after landing, while Odysseus experienced problems with its EagleCam camera, which the students planned to use for third-person footage.
Before its power was depleted, Odysseus completed a fitting farewell transmission. Received today, this image from February 22nd shows the crescent Earth in the background, a subtle reminder of humanity's presence in the universe.
- Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) 29 February 2024
Goodnight, Odie. We hope to hear from you... pic.twitter.com/RwOWsH1TSz
The Intuitive Machines team is trying to re-establish communication with the Odysseus camera, but the moonlit night is making this process difficult. Questions remain about the future performance of both devices after the period of darkness.
On March 1 at 3am JST, the sun set on the Shioli Crater and #SLIM re-entered a period of dormancy. Although the probability of a failure increases with the repeated severe temperature cycles, SLIM operation will attempt to resume when the sun rises (late March). #GoodAfterMoon pic.twitter.com/RHxNX1cmBF
- 小型月着陸実証機SLIM (@SLIM_JAXA) 2 March 2024
Source: Engadget
