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The Lunar Night Marks the End of the Odysseus Mission

On February 15th, Intuitive Machines (IM) successfully launched its first Nova-C class spacecraft from Kennedy Space Center in Florida atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. This spacecraft, codenamed Odysseus (or “Odie”), made history on February 22nd by becoming the first American-built vehicle to soft-land on the lunar surface since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972. Despite a slightly bumpy landing that saw Odysseus fall on its side, the IM-1 mission was considered a success as it demonstrated technologies and systems that will aid NASA in establishing a sustained program of lunar exploration and development.

However, after seven days of operation on the lunar surface, Intuitive Machines announced on February 29th that the Odysseus mission had come to an end with the onset of lunar night. Flight controllers in Houston set Odysseus into a configuration that would attempt to “call home” if it survived the two weeks of darkness. Unfortunately, as of March 23rd, it was confirmed that Odie would not be making any more communication attempts.

The company initiated efforts to wake up Odysseus on March 20th when they anticipated there was sufficient sunlight in the lander’s vicinity to potentially charge its power system. However, by March 23rd, it was clear that the lander was not reactivating and would not be able to establish contact with Houston. This marked the end of a mission that included the Nova-C spacecraft making its first soft landing on the Moon, utilizing methalox for navigation – a first for American spacecraft in over 50 years.

While the IM-1 mission was not designed to survive the lunar night, the data collected during this mission will be invaluable as the company works toward improving lunar landing systems to deliver payloads to the Moon. Intuitive Machines’ goal is to develop heat and power sources that can prevent systems from freezing during the lunar night, thus extending the lifespan of lunar surface missions and aiding in the establishment of lunar infrastructure.

Check Out Also: United Airlines Flight Makes Safe Landing Despite Missing External Panel

Looking ahead, the IM-2 mission is set for a launch in December 2024 and will involve landing a drill and the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) mass spectrometer near the Moon’s south pole. This NASA payload aims to demonstrate the feasibility of In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU) crucial for the creation of a lunar base. Additionally, the IM-3 mission in early 2025 will carry four NASA payloads to the Reiner Gamma region of the Moon.

Despite the end of the Odysseus mission, Intuitive Machines managed to have a final farewell with the lander before its power depleted. On February 22nd, the lander transmitted a final image of the lunar vista with the Earth in the backdrop, symbolizing humanity’s presence in the universe. Intuitive Machines expressed their hopes to hear from Odie again in the future.

12799 — *Image from the IM-1 Odysseus lander after it soft landed on the lunar surface. Credit: Intuitive Machines*

Landing WFOV Fisheye — *The last image sent by the IM-1 Odysseus mission on Feb. 22nd, 2024. Credit: Intuitive Machines*

Further Reading: Intuitive Machines

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Is now the right time to invest in gold as prices have cooled?

Now may be the time to buy gold following a recent lull in its price.

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The price of gold has climbed to record highs recently and has remained strong through much of April. And, that growth continued until the precious metal traded at around $2,390 per ounce on April 19, 2024. But since, growth in the price of the precious metal has cooled, with gold’s price now hovering around $2,300 per ounce.

This lull in gold’s price may represent an investment opportunity.

In general, investing is centered around buying assets when prices are low and selling them when prices are high – generating a profit on the difference between the two. So, considering the declines in gold’s price over the past few days, now may be the time to make your investment. But is buying gold during this lull in prices really a good idea?

Compare your gold investment options among leading brokers now.

Gold prices have cooled. Should you buy in now?

With gold’s price down from recent highs, you may be wondering if now is the right time to buy in. There are several reasons the dip in gold’s price may represent an opportunity to buy. Here are some of the biggest:

Prices may rise again

If looking at a gold price chart shows anything for certain, it shows that changes in the overall growth of the medal come in fits and spurts. Periods of price growth are typically followed by periods of declines and vice versa.

But with inflation rising in recent months – and with gold’s reputation as a safe-haven asset that can hedge against inflation – it only makes sense that the price of the precious metal will eventually start to head up again in the future. While attempting to time that directional change may be tricky, buying the precious metal while the price is down gives you the opportunity to take advantage of any upward movement that may be ahead.

Add gold to your portfolio now before prices have a chance to rise.

You may be able to make a quick profit

Gold isn’t known as an asset in which you can earn a quick return, but in today’s market, that may be the case. Don’t forget that in January, gold was trading at just $2,000 per ounce. And, by mid-April, the commodity’s price had climbed to around $2,400 per ounce. That’s about 20% growth in a matter of months, much of which happened since March 1 – an impressive climb for any investment asset.

Perhaps more importantly, gold’s price growth through the beginning of 2024 shows that the commodity doesn’t have to be a buy and hold style investment that you keep in a safety deposit box or precious metal depository for years to come. There’s also the possibility that the commodity’s price could climb further ahead, making it a compelling way to potentially generate a quick profit.

There are other benefits of investing in gold

There are other benefits of investing in gold that have little to do with the price growth seen thus far in 2024 – or the lull in prices seen over the past couple of days. Those benefits include:

Inflation protection: Gold has long been considered an inflation hedge, and for good reason. When inflation drives the prices of consumer goods and services up – and the value of the dollar down – gold’s price tends to rise. So, it could be used to maintain the value of your portfolio during inflationary economic conditions. That’s important in today’s economic environment as stubborn inflation continues to weigh on the value of the dollar.
Portfolio diversification: Gold’s price doesn’t always move in the same pattern that bonds or stocks do. So, mixing a reasonable amount of gold into your portfolio (up to 10% of your portfolio assets) as a diversifier could protect you from losses should one or more of your traditional portfolio assets fall in value. “If you have less than 5% – 10% of your net worth in commodities & FX (forex), you should absolutely consider adding exposure to gold and other precious metals,” says Vijay Marolia, money manager and managing partner at the wealth management firm, Regal Point Capital.

The bottom line

Gold’s price has fallen from recent highs – which may represent an opportunity to tap into growth ahead. However, gold isn’t simply a “buy while it’s low and sell while it’s a high” kind of investment opportunity. The commodity can also protect your portfolio from the stubborn inflation we’ve seen thus far in 2024 while acting as a diversification tool that could increase your risk-adjusted portfolio returns. So, consider adding gold to your portfolio today while it has the potential to grow in value.

Joshua Rodriguez

Joshua Rodriguez is a personal finance and investing writer with a passion for his craft. When he’s not working, he enjoys time with his wife, two kids, two dogs and two ducks.