The American lunar lander Odysseus was put to sleep. Last week, the lander fell, after which contact with Earth was no longer possible.

Odysseus was the first American spacecraft to land on the moon since NASA’s last Apollo mission in 1972. That happened last Thursday, but the robot fell. This may have been because one of the six legs fell on an irregular surface on the moon and broke.

Due to the fall, the solar panels were not directed towards the sun, and the antennas that communicate with the Earth were directed in the wrong direction. However, Odysseus continued to work for some time. With the power the robot still has, limited data can be sent back to Earth for some time.

Before the spacecraft entered sleep mode, it sent a “farewell message” to Earth containing a photo it had taken. The team behind the lander, Intuitive Machines, disabled Odysseus. It is possible to restart it if it survives the cold moon night, which lasts a few weeks.

Image sent by Odysseus in the last letter:

“Good night, Audi. We hope to hear from you again,” Intuitive Machines wrote in an online update. Odie is the pet name the team gave to the lunar lander.

Intuitive Machines received $118 million from NASA to build the spacecraft and mission to the moon. There are six NASA instruments on board.

The mission is important to that organization, because the landing images could be used for future manned moon landings. Odysseus also collected data for various universities. There were also works of art on board, including works by a Dutch artist.

Within three weeks, sunlight is expected to appear again where the spacecraft landed. The team programmed Odysseus to send a signal back to Earth if he got enough sunlight, allowing him to turn himself back on again.

Earlier this week, a Japanese lunar lander was able to contact Earth again after being put into sleep mode. This spacecraft also ended up on its side upon landing, meaning it couldn’t generate enough power. There was a fear that it wouldn’t work anymore, but it did.

According to the company behind the mission, the fact that the American Odysseus lander ended up on its side was due to human error.

The team preparing the robot to fly had forgotten to manually release the safety switch. As a result, the aircraft’s onboard lasers that could estimate distances did not work. When the robot was still on its way to its place on the moon, an alternative was devised. This prevented an accident, but it did not prevent Odysseus from ending up at his side.

Two more lunar landers from Intuitive Machines will launch later this year. They will also collect information that will be used in preparation for a subsequent manned lunar mission.