Odin
AstroForge's roughly 100-kilogram deep-space spacecraft, launched on 26 February 2025 (US time) as a secondary payload on the Falcon 9 that carried Intuitive Machines' IM-2 lunar lander, intended to fly by and image the suspected metallic near-Earth asteroid 2022 OB5. The operator received only faint early signals (partly via an amateur radio operator), could not establish reliable two-way command, and on 6 March 2025 stated that the chance of further contact was minimal; the operator had defined reaching deep space past the Moon as its main objective and the asteroid flyby as a secondary objective, which was not achieved.
Objective. Fly by near-Earth asteroid 2022 OB5 and capture images to help determine whether it is metallic (operator statement).
Facts
- Kind
- Spacecraft
- Mission type
- Flyby
- Target
- Near-Earth asteroid2022 OB5
- Launch
- 2025-02-26
- Launch vehicle
- Falcon 9 (Intuitive Machines IM-2 launch)
- Phase
- EndedOperator debrief dated 6 March 2025; operator mission page lists Odin as launched 2025 with no later contact reported.
- Outcome
- FailureBasis: operator statement
- Why it is included
- Stated resource objective
Outcome statement (operator statement)
The chance of talking with Odin is minimal, as at this point, the accuracy of its position is becoming an issue.
Participants
Operators, payload owners, carriers and customers are recorded separately.
| Organization | Role |
|---|---|
| AstroForge | Operator |
| SpaceX | Launch provider |
Resources and evidence
| Resource | Evidence |
|---|---|
| Platinum-group metals | Targeted |
Open evidence gaps
- Operator final root-cause determination: the March 2025 debrief gives leading theories only, while Payload (June 2026) states the solar array deployment system failed.
- FCC license record for Odin's deep-space communications (Space.com reports an FCC grant on 18 Oct 2024); no authorization record for that reported grant is included.
- Consistent spacecraft mass: operator pages give 100 kg, 105 kg and 120 kg.
- UTC launch date: operator gives 26 February 2025 (US time); secondary sources give 27 February 2025 (UTC).
Sources
7 sourcesOdin launched successfully as a secondary payload on the Intuitive Machines IM-2 mission, riding a SpaceX Falcon 9 to deep space.
The chance of talking with Odin is minimal, as at this point, the accuracy of its position is becoming an issue.
Our leading theory involves potential complications with solar panel deployment.
Odin launched on February 26, 2025 with the goal of capturing critical images of asteroid 2022 OB5
So our main objective for this mission is to make it past the moon and into Deep Space.
The second objective is to do a fly-by of our target asteroid, 2022 OB5.
had its mission cut short 530,000 miles from Earth after its solar array deployment system failed, leaving Odin powerless