Intuitive Machines: Odysseus Moon lander 'tipped over on touchdown'
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11 hours ago
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IMAGE SOURCE,NASA
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Steve Altemus, CEO of Intuitive Machines, describes what he thinks happened during landing
Jonathan Amos, Science correspondent
By Jonathan Amos
Science correspondent
@BBCAmos
The Odysseus Moon lander is likely lying on its side with its head resting against a rock.
The US spacecraft, which made history on Thursday by becoming the first ever privately built and operated robot to complete a soft lunar touchdown, is otherwise in good condition.
Its owner, Texan firm Intuitive Machines, says Odysseus has plenty of power and is communicating with Earth.
Controllers are trying to retrieve pictures from the robot.
Steve Altemus, the CEO and co-founder of IM, said it wasn't totally clear what had happened but the data suggested the robot caught a foot on the surface and then fell because it still had some lateral motion at the moment of landing.