Shortly before nightfall at the lunar south pole and the lander’s batteries run out, the images and a tonne of data have been downloaded.
The corporation also disclosed that when the sun rises again after two to three weeks, the lander might be brought back to life. Whether the batteries and electronics can withstand temperatures below -200C (-328F) is the big unknown.
“No eulogies are scheduled. Just joy,” co-founder Steve Altemus of the business stated at a Houston, Texas, press conference.
The lander’s first new image, captured just after it landed, depicts at least one of its legs broken, with pebbles and dust being propelled away by the rocket engine’s thrust at a fast speed.
The lander is shown on its side in a second image, and a dark, oval crater located about 500 meters (1,640 feet) away. It is estimated by scientists that the crater may be two billion years old.
