Moon lander Odysseus mission expected to end Tuesday morning, 5 days after touchdown

Communications with the private U.S. moon lander Odysseus are expected to cease on Tuesday, effectively cutting short its mission five days after touchdown, the company behind the spacecraft, Intuitive Machines, said on Monday.

Company executives had told reporters on Friday, the day after Odysseus arrived in the region of the moon's south pole, that the science payloads aboard the lander would be able to operate for about nine or 10 days under a "best-case scenario." However, the company acknowledged then that the spacecraft had landed sideways on the lunar surface following a navigation glitch, limiting exposure of the vehicle's solar panels to available sunlight.

In an update on the status of the mission posted online on Monday, the Houston-based company said: "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."