Intuitive Machines’ Athena Lunar Lander Mission Ends Abruptly

Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander, named Athena, has officially ended its mission just one day after successfully landing at the moon’s south pole. Unfortunately, after its landing, the spacecraft tipped over, preventing it from carrying out its objectives.

This premature conclusion to the Athena mission marks the second consecutive setback for Intuitive Machines, following a similar incident with its previous lunar lander, Odysseus, which also tipped over after landing in February.

The Athena mission ended before the lander could regain stability. According to Intuitive Machines, the configuration of Athena’s solar panels, coupled with the angle of the sunlight and the harsh cold of the crater where it landed, made it impossible for the spacecraft to recharge its batteries. The company confirmed in an update that “the mission has concluded, and teams are continuing to assess the data collected throughout the mission.”

Despite the unfortunate end, Intuitive Machines has reported that they were able to achieve several significant milestones during the mission. They successfully deployed NASA’s Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment, which features a drill intended to penetrate up to three feet into the lunar surface. While the company did not specify which other experiments were deployed, Athena was also carrying a rover equipped with Nokia cellular technology and a solid-state lunar data center.

The Athena mission commenced months after NASA awarded Intuitive Machines a contract to assist in developing a lunar communications network. This contract could potentially be worth up to $4.8 billion, though only $150 million is guaranteed at this stage.

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