The Athena lander is effectively dead. Intuitive Machines confirms that it ran out of energy after failing to stick its landing on the Moon.
“Images downlinked from Athena on the lunar surface confirmed that Athena was on her side,” the company said in a Friday update. Images released by the company clearly show the craft lying down rather than standing upright.
The botched landing means Athena, also known as IM-2, can’t effectively recharge through its solar panels. “With the direction of the sun, the orientation of the solar panels, and extreme cold temperatures in the crater, Intuitive Machines does not expect Athena to recharge,” it says.
(Credit: Intuitive Machines)
In the same post, Intuitive Machines said the lander’s batteries have been “depleted.” But before they ran out of energy, the company began releasing its payloads, including NASA’s PRIME 1 suite, or two instruments designed to identify and drill for ice water sources on the lunar surface.
An artist’s illustration of Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar lander on the Moon. (Credit: Nokia Bell Labs)
“The mission has concluded and teams are continuing to assess the data collected throughout the mission,” Intuitive Machines added. The company also noted that Athena landed in the Moon’s southern pole region, which suffers from rugged terrain along with “harsh sun angles and limited direct communication with the Earth.”
It’s unclear what went wrong. But Intuitive Machines says Athena “landed 250 meters from its intended landing site in the Mons Mouton region of the lunar south pole, inside of a crater.”
Athena meets the same fate as Intuitive Machines’ first lunar lander, Odysseus. That craft also tipped over, forcing the company to abandon it after its batteries ran out of energy.
Recommended by Our Editors
Intuitive Machines tried to fix the issues on Athena by making about a dozen major changes. But it wasn’t enough. During yesterday’s landing, the craft approached the Moon from the side, rather than an upright angle, according to images Athena uploaded during the landing process.
NASA didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Get Our Best Stories!
This newsletter may contain advertising, deals, or affiliate links.
By clicking the button, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our
Terms of Use and
Privacy Policy.
You may unsubscribe from the newsletters at any time.
About Michael Kan
Senior Reporter
