In a celestial twist, the inaugural U.S. spacecraft to grace the lunar surface since the Apollo era met an unceremonious fate last Thursday. A mere week post-landing, this lunar explorer suffered a limb injury during its descent and toppled over in close proximity to the moon’s southern pole.

The lunar lander, christened Odysseus by its creators at Intuitive Machines, defied expectations by persevering beyond its projected operational window. However, its triumph was marred as it found itself reclined, grappling with compromised solar power and communication capabilities.

The denouement unfolded when ground-based flight controllers bid farewell to Odysseus, culminating in a directive to switch its computer and power systems to standby mode. This strategic dormancy, a calculated move to survive the lunar night’s frigid temperatures, might rouse the lander from its slumber in a fortnight or more. Intuitive Machines’ spokesperson, Josh Marshall, articulated that these final commands drew the lander into a protracted state of dormancy, metaphorically putting Odysseus into a profound and extended nap.

In a poignant sign-off, the company conveyed their sentiments via X, formerly known as Twitter, expressing, “Good night, Odie. We hope to hear from you again.”

Before succumbing to power depletion, Odysseus transmitted what Intuitive Machines dubbed as a “befitting valediction transmission.” Captured just moments before its lunar touchdown, the image portrayed the underbelly of the lander against the moon’s cratered canvas, adorned with a diminutive Earth crescent and a minuscule sun in the background.

Initially slated for a lunar sojourn lasting approximately a week, Odysseus, a creation of the Houston-based Intuitive Machines, etched its name in history by becoming the maiden private entity to execute a crash-free lunar landing on February 22. A feat only accomplished by five nations since the 1960s, with Japan achieving a sideways descent just the prior month.

Tasked with carrying six experiments for NASA, who invested $118 million in this cosmic venture, Odysseus’ sojourn deviated from its predecessors. A stark contrast to the ill-fated lunar delivery by the first company participating in NASA’s commercial lunar program, which ended in a cataclysmic return to Earth in January.

NASA perceives these private lunar landers as trailblazers, scouting the extraterrestrial terrain in preparation for forthcoming astronaut expeditions slated for the coming years. Odysseus, a herald of this new era, marked the conclusion of a lunar landing hiatus for the United States since the Apollo 17 mission led by Gene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt in 1972.