Intuitive Machines’ Athena mission may not have gone as planned, but there are some silver linings from this short lunar venture.
Athena landed on the moon on March 6, but unfortunately, it did so sideways. This awkward position prevented the lander from generating power, resulting in the end of the mission just a day later. However, the mission did succeed in sending back images from the moon’s surface.
Despite the mishap, another payload aboard Athena, the Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover, managed to collect valuable data before the mission concluded. Lunar Outpost shared this exciting update.
“Our Lunar Voyage 1 MAPP rover successfully reached the moon! It collected data while traveling and proved it was ready to move,” the company stated.
(Image credit: Intuitive Machines)
Even with the Athena lander’s sideways landing, MAPP managed to survive and was ready to roll. Unfortunately, its deployment was halted due to the lander’s position.”Our data shows that MAPP survived and was equipped to achieve its mission,” Lunar Outpost noted.
The 1.5-foot-long rover carried valuable tools. It was set to test Nokia’s lunar communications system and acquire a small amount of lunar soil to sell to NASA for just $1. This transaction was intended to set a precedent for using space resources.
Though these goals couldn’t be completed due to the rough landing, MAPP still provided useful data during its time in transit, in lunar orbit, and on the surface. This information will aid Lunar Outpost in future missions.
Lunar Outpost plans to launch several upcoming missions, including exploring Reiner Gamma, revisiting the lunar south pole, and being part of the first Australian rover mission to the moon.
Intuitive Machines is gearing up for its next mission, expected to launch later this year, which will carry the Lunar Voyage 2 rover. Meanwhile, Lunar Outpost is also in the running for a NASA contract to create a rover for a lunar test mission ahead of the scheduled Artemis 5 mission in 2030.
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