In a small control room in Texas, engineers at a space startup called Intuitive Machines were on edge. Their spacecraft, a lunar lander named Athena, was making its final descent to the Moon’s surface.
Just over a year ago, the team faced disappointment with their first lunar venture, Odysseus. That lander had trouble with its laser rangefinder and ended up crashing on the Moon. This time, the engineers were determined to avoid a repeat.
They meticulously tested Athena’s laser-based altimeter systems. As the lander approached the Moon, about 30 km away, they hoped for clear signals indicating its altitude. However, when they received the readings, they noticed a lot of noise interfering with the data. Still, there was a glimmer of hope that things would improve as they got closer.
“We hoped the signal would be clearer near the surface,” said Tim Crain, the chief technology officer. Sadly, that clarity didn’t come. As Athena descended, it essentially did so without a clear view of the ground. While the lander’s propulsion system, created with liquid oxygen and methane, worked perfectly, Athena lost track of its exact position in the final moments.
After landing, the team managed to communicate with Athena and even harness power from its solar panels. However, they couldn’t determine its exact location or orientation. Crain and chief executive Steve Altemus were left in suspense. Most likely, Athena ended up lying on its side, similar to Odysseus’s fate the year before when it crashed awkwardly and broke a leg.
This situation underscores the challenges of lunar exploration. As engineers continue to analyze the data and understand what happened, they remain hopeful for future missions. Every setback brings lessons that can guide them closer to success.
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