This week, a private spacecraft landed on the Moon for the second time, but not without issues. The Athena lander, created by the Texas company Intuitive Machines, landed in the Mons Mouton area, about 160 kilometers (100 miles) from the Moon’s South Pole. Unfortunately, it appears to be resting on its side instead of upright.
Despite this setback, CEO Steve Altemus expressed optimism. “We had a seven-day journey to the surface, and we consider that a success so far,” he mentioned at a press conference in Houston. However, he noted that they are still assessing the lander’s position. “We don’t believe we’re in the right orientation on the surface,” he added, as the team collects photos for analysis.
This isn’t the first challenge for Intuitive Machines. Their earlier lander, Odysseus, tipped over last year after a hard landing, leading to a shutdown due to a lack of power from its solar panels.
Some experts have questioned the design of Athena. Unlike most lunar landers, which are shorter and more stable, Athena stands over 4.5 meters (15 feet) tall but only 1.57 meters (5.1 feet) wide. Altemus defended this choice, stating that the lander’s weight distribution helps maintain stability and that they have no plans to rethink their design.
“Any time humanity puts a lander on the Moon, it’s a good day,” said Tim Crain, Intuitive Machines’ chief technology officer.
In positive news, the lander is still generating some power, although not enough for full operations. The team is evaluating which systems to deactivate to prolong its functionality. Meanwhile, last Sunday, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander achieved a successful landing and has already started sending back data.
The fate of Athena’s cargo remains uncertain. This includes three lunar rovers and various scientific instruments. One major payload is NASA’s Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment 1, aimed at drilling into the Moon’s surface to search for water, particularly in permanently shadowed areas. NASA mentioned that there’s still potential to analyze the soil, depending on the lander’s current angle.
A second instrument, the Laser Retro-reflector array, was designed to help track satellites and measure distances accurately. These devices have been left on the Moon since the Apollo missions, starting with Apollo 11 in 1969.
Athena also carried some commercial projects, like the Micro Nova Hopper, affectionately named Grace. This hopper is intended to explore craters within 25 kilometers (15 miles) of the landing site using jet propulsion to search for water.
The lander was supposed to connect to Nokia’s 4G/LTE network, which is being tested for future communication when human missions return to the Moon. This network will help control a roving vehicle, called the Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP), that was designed to study the lunar surface and assess challenges astronauts might face.
The third rover, named Yaoki, is notably small at just 15 centimeters (six inches) wide and 10 centimeters (four inches) tall. Its design allows it to be deployed anywhere on the Moon, making it adaptable for exploration.
The Intuitive Machines team is currently figuring out which of the cargo can still be deployed, hoping to collect useful data. The Mons Mouton highlands is considered a promising site for upcoming manned missions to the Moon.
