U.S. private lunar lander continues to generate solar power on Moon

LOS ANGELES, Feb. 28 (Xinhua) -- U.S. company Intuitive Machines' first lunar lander Odysseus continued to generate solar power on the Moon, the company said Wednesday morning.

The solar power allowed flight controllers to continue gathering data from the south pole region on the Moon in furtherance of the IM-1 Mission objectives, said the company.

Flight controllers were analyzing new solar charging data and using the additional time to maximize tasks that would further the exploration, according to the company.

The company said on Tuesday the lander's battery may continue up to an additional 10 to 20 hours.

Intuitive Machines and NASA will have a briefing on the mission at the Johnson Space Center in Houston later Wednesday.

The uncrewed lander landed at the lunar South Pole last Thursday, marking the first American spacecraft to land on the lunar surface in more than 50 years.

Although the Odysseus touched down on lunar surface, analysis of data by flight engineers showed the six-legged spacecraft tripped over its own feet during its final descent. The spacecraft was believed to have caught one of its landing feet on the uneven lunar surface, and came to rest sideways.

Flight controllers were working on final determination of battery life on the lander, according to the company.

Odysseus carries NASA science and other commercial payloads to the moon.

The last U.S. moon landing mission was made in December 1972, when Apollo 17 touched down on the lunar surface for the final mission of the Apollo Program.