Intuitive Machines faced another challenge with its lunar lander, Athena. On Thursday, it touched down at a less-than-ideal angle, echoing the issues from its first mission last year.
Back in February 2024, the Houston-based company made headlines when it became the first private firm to land on the Moon. However, the Odysseus lander toppled over right after landing, which overshadowed the achievement.
This time, Athena aimed for the Mons Mouton plateau, near the lunar south pole, which made it a historic endeavor. The landing was scheduled for 12:32 PM ET, but as the minutes ticked by, tension built in mission control.
Eventually, twenty minutes past the planned landing, company spokesperson Josh Marshall announced, “Athena is on the surface of the Moon.” But the team was still trying to gather information about how the lander was positioned.
CEO Steve Altemus later confirmed that Athena might not be in the right position. This could affect its power generation and communication, which are vital for the mission’s success.
After the announcement, Intuitive Machines’ stock dropped 20%. The company hinted that technical issues with Athena’s laser altimeters might have contributed to the rough landing.
Athena shares a similar design with Odysseus, standing at about 15.6 feet tall—roughly the height of a giraffe. While this design raised skepticism about stability, Altemus reassured that the lander’s weight distribution is designed for safety.
There was high anticipation for this mission, especially after Texas-based Firefly Aerospace successfully landed its Blue Ghost lander on its first try just a few days earlier.
Athena carries important equipment like an ice-drilling experiment, a test for a 4G cellular network, three rovers, and a unique drone named Grace. Grace is set to explore a permanently shadowed crater on the Moon—a first for humanity. However, the mission’s success will depend on Athena’s final resting position, which is still uncertain.
Tim Crain, the chief technology officer at Intuitive Machines, expressed a positive outlook, stating, “Any time humanity puts a lander on the moon, it’s a good day.” The team plans to use images from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter to pinpoint Athena’s exact location, although this might take a day or two.
NASA’s Nicky Fox, who oversees the science mission directorate, shared her enthusiasm about the mission, emphasizing the importance of collecting scientific data before the mission concludes.
Lunar landings are notoriously tricky. With no atmosphere, spacecraft can’t use parachutes; they must rely on precise thrust control and navigation over rough terrain. Until Intuitive Machines’ mission, only national space agencies had successfully landed on the Moon, with NASA’s last landing occurring during the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
Odysseus experienced a rough landing last year when it approached too quickly and toppled over. Athena launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, which also carried NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer probe—a vessel aimed at mapping the Moon’s water sources. Unfortunately, ground control has had difficulties re-establishing contact with the Trailblazer, adding to the challenges faced by NASA.
These missions come at a critical time, as there are questions about NASA’s plans for future crewed Moon missions. Some speculate the agency might shift its focus more towards Mars, a goal prominently supported by former President Donald Trump and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.
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