A dramatic turn of events unfolded for Intuitive Machines as their Athena moon lander made its descent to the lunar surface. The lander successfully touched down on Thursday in a crater near the moon’s south pole but tipped over upon landing, according to company officials.

Mission Overview

Launched on February 26 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the Athena lander was equipped with ten science instruments and technology demonstrations funded by NASA. The mission aimed to gather crucial data in preparation for the anticipated return of astronauts to the moon around 2027-2028.

NASA had contracted Intuitive Machines with a budget of $62.5 million to deliver a drill and mass spectrometer to the moon. Additionally, the agency funded $15 million for cellular communications technology from Nokia and another $41 million for a rocket-powered “hopper” designed to explore permanently shadowed craters in search of ice.

The Landing Incident

While the Athena lander performed impressively during its launch and lunar orbit phases, issues arose shortly before touchdown. The autonomous navigation system diverted the lander, steering it away from potential hazards and leading to an unintended landing approximately 820 feet from its targeted location.

Upon landing, Athena likely tipped over either from impact at an angle or residual sideways momentum. Despite the mishap, the lander remained operational for a time, receiving commands and attempting to recharge its batteries. Unfortunately, due to the intense southern sun angles, the orientation of its solar panels, and the extreme cold in the crater, the batteries depleted too rapidly, and the mission concluded prematurely.

Data Collection and Future Prospects

After the crash landing, mission controllers were able to expedite several program and payload milestones, including the Prime-1 suite. Despite the lander’s compromised position, it provided valuable data before the operational shutdown was confirmed.

Intuitive Machines emphasized that insights gained from this mission are expected to facilitate future explorations of the rugged terrain around the moon’s south pole, an area previously deemed challenging for landing.

Comparative Context

The landing incident represents a second setback for Intuitive Machines, following the challenges faced by its first moon lander, Odysseus, which landed unsteadily last year and subsequently became incapacitated.

In contrast, another commercial lander, Blue Ghost, developed by Firefly Aerospace, successfully touched down on a more hospitable region of the moon shortly before Athena, carrying NASA-sponsored payloads. A third lander, known as Resilience from the Tokyo-based company ispace, is currently en route to the moon and scheduled to touch down in June.