Human error

Switch forgotten: US moon mission threatens to flop

"Odysseus" tipped over after landing - the reason for this is probably human error.(Bild: AP)

The commercial US lunar lander "Ulysses" was supposed to herald the return of the USA to Earth's satellite - but now the mission could come to an end much sooner than planned. The reason is apparently human error.

"Odysseus" was supposed to send data towards Earth for seven days - but the mission is definitely not going according to plan. The reason for this is that a laser removal device apparently malfunctioned during landing, causing the lander to descend faster than planned, get caught and tip on its side.

Lander runs out of power
As a result, not all antennas can be used for transmission - and the solar panels are no longer in sunlight. As the US company Intuitive Machines explained, it will probably only be possible to communicate with the lander until Tuesday morning (local time Houston, Texas).

Important switch can only be operated manually
It has now been revealed that the reason for the crash landing was extremely trivial. It was not the technology that let the aircraft down, but human error. Even before take-off, design engineers deactivated the state-of-the-art laser navigation system using a switch so that the lasers would not pose a danger to the eyes during the work. Unfortunately, they apparently forgot to flip the switch before the launch - but this can only be done manually.

The fact that the lander made it to the lunar surface relatively unscathed is thanks to an experimental NASA navigation system. While "Odysseus" was still in the landing approach, it was activated and brought the lander to the ground, albeit roughly.

Mission not entirely in vain
However, the mission was not entirely in vain. It was only on Monday that the company published the first low-resolution photo that "Odysseus" took after landing. The lander also transmitted images of its descent to the Malapert A crater, according to Intuitive Machines on X.