Odysseus, the first US-built spacecraft to land on the moon in more than 50 years, could outperform expectations and still be sending back crucial scientific data weeks beyond its initial planned seven- to 10-day period of operation, mission managers said on Wednesday.
The lander, carrying Nasa equipment analyzing the lunar surface, will be put into sleep mode in the coming hours when its solar panels no longer receive sunlight at the beginning of a weeks-long “lunar night”, they said at an afternoon press conference in Houston.
