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Space

NASA has made the first radio telescope observations on the moon

The Odysseus spacecraft made a rough landing on the moon last year, toppling over and rendering much of its equipment unusable, but an onboard NASA radio telescope called ROLSES-1  was able to make some observations

By Jonathan O’Callaghan

21 March 2025

The Odysseus spacecraft as it approached the moon

Intuitive Machines

The first successful use of a radio telescope on the moon has kicked off a new era of astronomy that could shed light on the cosmic dark ages – despite a bumpy landing.

NASA’s ROLSES-1 (Radio wave Observations at the Lunar Surface of the photoElectron Sheath) telescope was mounted on the Odysseus lander, an Intuitive Machines spacecraft that made the first ever private lunar landing last year. While Odysseus was the first such spacecraft to survive a landing, it tipped on its side, rendering most of the equipment on…

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