Odysseus lunar rover expected to stop working Tuesday

The Odysseus lunar lander that became the first American craft in decades to touch down on the moon is expected to cease functioning on Tuesday due to an irregularity in the landing.

The craft touched down sideways near the moon's south pole last week. The craft is expected to continue collecting data for as long as the solar panels continue to collect light, the Associated Press reported. That cutoff point is expected to come Tuesday morning.

Odysseus was constructed by Intuitive Machines and launched in a SpaceX rocket as part of a broader plan to use private enterprise to pave the way for a return of human landings under NASA's Artemis program.

The Odysseus's faulty landing follows a Russian landing attempt that saw its Luna-25 spacecraft crash into the moon last year. Days later, India managed to land its own rover.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.