Odysseus Lander's Sideways Moon Landing Deemed a Success

Despite landing on its side, Intuitive Machines' Odysseus mission highlights the critical role of minor details in space exploration.

Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lander, the first commercial spacecraft to land on the Moon, narrowly avoided failure due to a tiny engineering error but ultimately landed on its side.
The mission was deemed a success despite the lander's unconventional landing, highlighting the challenges and importance of minor details in spaceflight.
Several recent lunar missions have failed due to small engineering errors, underscoring the difficulty of landing on the Moon.
Odysseus carried 12 payloads, including six NASA science instruments, aiming to gather data to aid future crewed landings as part of NASA's Artemis program.
The mission's end is imminent due to the lander's position affecting its ability to generate power and communicate, with battery life expected to run out soon.