“Unexpected End to Secret Moon Lander Mission”
A recent mission involving the Intuitive Machines’ Athena moon lander came to an abrupt halt when the spacecraft landed in a crater near the lunar south pole and tipped over. Company officials revealed that due to the low sun angle and the positioning of the lander’s solar cells, the spacecraft’s battery drained rapidly, resulting in an early termination of the mission. Images transmitted from Athena on the lunar surface confirmed its tilted position, as shared on the company’s website.
Despite the setback, mission controllers managed to accomplish several program and payload milestones post-landing, which included NASA’s PRIME-1 drill suite. However, with the challenging conditions in the crater, including extreme cold temperatures and the inability to recharge the batteries, Intuitive Machines declared the mission concluded. The teams are currently evaluating the data gathered throughout the mission.
Launched on Feb. 26 using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the Athena lander carried 10 science instruments and technology demonstrations funded by NASA. The agency’s aim was to gather essential data before future manned missions to the moon in the 2027-28 timeframe. In exchange for delivering a drill and a mass spectrometer, known as Prime-1, to the moon, NASA had agreed to pay Intuitive Machines $62.5 million. Furthermore, under NASA’s “tipping point” technology development program, additional funds were allocated for Nokia cellular communications equipment and a rocket-powered “hopper” designed to explore shadowed craters for ice.
While Athena demonstrated flawless performance until just before landing, an unexpected deviation in the autonomous guidance system caused it to come down in a crater slightly off-target. Despite the unforeseen landing orientation, Athena remained functional for a brief period, attempting to recharge its batteries and responding to commands from the ground. However, the challenging conditions at the lunar south pole ultimately led to the mission’s premature conclusion.
Intuitive Machines emphasized the significance of the insights gained from this mission, stating that it could pave the way for future space exploration in the southern pole region. The company had previously faced a similar setback with its earlier moon lander, Odysseus, which was unable to complete its mission due to a landing leg failure.
As the team continues to analyze the outcome of the mission, they remain optimistic about the potential advancements in space exploration that may arise from this experience.
One spacecraft, named Blue Ghost, successfully landed in a different region of the moon with more favorable terrain on Sunday. Another privately-built lander, launched by Tokyo-based ispace and known as the Japanese Resilience lander, is taking a longer, low-energy route to the moon and is anticipated to land in June. Meanwhile, a former Army recruiter has fled the state with his 17-year-old girlfriend following the murder of his estranged wife. In other news, President Trump is pushing to eliminate the Education Department and has suggested that dealing with Ukraine in peace talks is proving more challenging than dealing with Russia. He has also hinted at upcoming developments related to Iran.
