--- title: "NASA’s Precious Moon Lander Has Toppled Over" description: "The new Moon lander, which was created by a private company on behalf of NASA, is on its side after catching its \"foot\" on a rock." date: "2024-02-26" modified: "2024-02-26" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/the-byte/nasa-moon-lander-sideways" categories: - "Astronomy" - "Moon" - "NASA" - "Space" tags: - "intuitive machines" - "moon landers" - "NASA" - "the digest" --- # NASA’s Precious Moon Lander Has Toppled Over ![A close-up of a model Odysseus Moon lander on a desk, with Intuitive Machines CEO Stephen Altemus' hand and torso behind it.]() *\Image: NASA/Futurism\* ## Lay Down The new Moon lander, built and operated by a private company with funding from NASA, is down pretty bad. The 14-foot tall lander, built by the Houston-based company Intuitive Machines and [launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket](), did land successfully and is "[alive and well]()," per an update from the company. There's just one small problem, as [*Space.com*]() and others report: it's on its side after catching its "foot" on a rock and falling over. Odysseus, as the lander is named, took some pretty complex last-minute maneuvering to make Moonfall safely after its [rocky road to the Moon](). As *Space.com* explains, the craft's handlers realized that its laser rangefinders weren't working as it neared its scheduled descent. Thinking fast, they found a workaround using an [experimental NASA instrument]() known as the "Navigation Doppler Lidar for Precise Velocity and Range Sensing," or NDL for short — though clearly, it only kind of worked. Along with tipping over, the lander also [did not deploy its camera]() — though, to be fair, it did beam back some pretty [spectacular selfies with Earth]() during its "spicy" week-long journey, as Intuitive Machines' CEO co-founder Steve Altemus called it during a press conference. https://twitter.com/rory_mg/status/1761159963546673412 ## Good Enough Despite the drama, the company insists the lander is doing well, all things considered. "So far, we have quite a bit of operational capability even though we're tipped over," Altemus said. "And so that's really exciting for us, and we're continuing the surface operations mission as a result of it." As part of NASA's new era of [public-private partnership](), the lander has lots hanging on it as the first privately-built craft to successfully land on the Moon and the first American one to do so since NASA's [Voyager 17]() in 1972. That said, [India]() and Japan did both beat the US in getting crafts on the Moon in recent months, though the Japanese one [also landed wrong](). Launched at the end of last week, the Intuitive Machines lander's success or failure is, understandably, a huge deal for both NASA and Intuitive Machines. Therefore, before it became clear that Odysseus was [sittin' sideways](), NASA administrator Bill Nelson called its landing a "triumph" and declared that it had "taken the Moon." "This feat is a giant leap forward for all of humanity," Nelson said soon after the landing success had been announced, [per *Space.com*](). "Stay tuned!" As such, the wonkiness of the Odysseus landing, along with the other [NASA-funded]() attempt at a lunar lander that [failed outright]() early last month, could be seen as a hit for the agency and the company that launched it — though given that it landed on the lunar surface at all, it's not as bad as it could be. **More on Moon missions:** [*NASA Reportedly Forced to Push Back Moon Landing After SpaceX Fails to Deliver Starship*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()