The first private probe designed to study asteroids is exhibiting unusual behavior in space (photo).

While the private lunar lander Blue Ghost successfully achieved a soft landing on the Moon, another private probe faced difficulties. The world's first private spacecraft designed to visit an asteroid is slowly tumbling through space, and the mission's prospects are uncertain, reports Space.

On February 26, the Odin spacecraft, developed by the American company AstroForge to study the asteroid 2022 OB5, was launched into space aboard a Falcon 9 rocket. This company aims to mine resources from space rocks. Just a few hours after the launch, the probe encountered issues and last communicated with Earth 20 hours after entering space. Representatives from AstroForge stated that they are still attempting to establish contact with the Odin probe, but hopes are dwindling.

On Saturday, March 1, the probe was over 300,000 km away from Earth, mostly following its previously assigned trajectory. Observations indicated that its solar panels were generating power, but data on the spacecraft's condition could not be obtained.

AstroForge reported that the Odin spacecraft is, according to observations, slowly tumbling through space at a very low speed. It remains unclear what has happened and whether the spacecraft can continue its mission. Representatives from AstroForge say they are continuing efforts to re-establish communication with Odin to restore its proper orientation in space.

The company AstroForge was established to initiate mining operations on asteroids, which can then be utilized on Earth and in space. The Odin spacecraft is designed to gather data during its flyby of the asteroid 2022 OB5, which is crucial for the company's next mission when a landing on the asteroid will be attempted.