Is Hope Fading? The Tumbling Odyssey of the Private Odin Asteroid Probe in Space

Odin, the first private spacecraft designed to visit an asteroid, is drifting in space, facing tough challenges.

Launched on February 26, Odin was sent on a mission to fly by asteroid 2022 OB5 for AstroForge, a company planning to mine asteroids in the future. However, shortly after liftoff, issues arose. The last contact with the spacecraft happened 20 hours post-launch.

AstroForge’s founder, Matt Gialich, shared a video update, acknowledging the fading hope for the mission. “We’re going to keep trying over the weekend and see how far we get,” he stated.

At the time of the update, Odin was about 186,000 miles (300,000 kilometers) from Earth and was roughly on track. The spacecraft’s solar panels were generating power. However, it hasn’t sent full details about its status.

Gialich explained that the team had problems with ground stations, which are crucial for maintaining communication. “Missing our early ground stations really hurt our ability to address problems,” he said.

Odin weighs 265 pounds (120 kilograms) and was designed to operate on its internal battery for only 2.5 hours. The fact that the last signal was received 20 hours after launch has sparked some relief about its power source.

As Odin floats through space, it is tumbling slowly. “It’s a very low-speed tumble, but we don’t know why,” Gialich noted, highlighting the uncertainty ahead.

AstroForge’s team is actively working through the weekend, exploring recovery options. Gialich remains hopeful that they might still recover the spacecraft based on some theories they have about the situation. “If one of our theories is correct, there may still be a path to recovery,” he added.

AstroForge aims to gather data and images from asteroid 2022 OB5, preparing for its next mission, Vestri, which will land on an asteroid. Gialich shared that the team built Odin in just 10 months. Odin launched with several other missions, including Intuitive Machines’ Athena lander and NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer.

Despite Odin’s challenges, Gialich emphasized AstroForge’s commitment to the Vestri mission. “We have a strong group of investors who are fully behind us,” he stated. “No matter what happens with Odin, we will apply what we’ve learned moving forward. We’ll be back next year with another attempt.”