The Lander apparently hit a rock with one of its landing legs as it touched down, knocking it on its side. While most of the science instruments are not facing downward, the antenna is, and this has compromised the mission’s ability to easily send scientific data back, if at all.

Disappointing to say the least, but hard to believe this wasn’t forseeable given the rough surface of the moon. If I remember correctly, the MER landers had a feature that allowed them to right themselves if they landed on their sides. It seems to me that spacecraft landers should always include this ability in their design.

This wasn’t the only mistake on this mission. Intuitive Machines’ own navigation technology failed and ground engineers were forced to write a software patch to switch to an experimental NASA laser guidance system that was intended to run only as a technology demonstration. IM later revealed Odysseus’ own laser system failed to turn on because someone had forgotten to flip a safety switch before takeoff, which was described as “an oversight on our part.”

Has anyone there ever heard of a fricking checklist?

What I’d like to see is a large number of lunar landers based on the MER inflatable balloon landing design. Drop them directly into polar craters, once they emerge from the deflated balloon, they will have high powered LED lights that can look around in the darkness for ice. Obviously the battery will eventually die but not before getting a good look at the surroundings.