Space Exploration Update

Space can be a harsh and unforgiving environment. Recently, a lunar lander, Athena, crashed onto the Moon’s surface and came to rest in a cold, dark crater, ending its mission prematurely. Now, Houston-based aerospace company Intuitive Machines has released new details about the lander’s final moments, revealing that it briefly regained power after shutting down.

Athena landed on the lunar surface on Thursday, March 6, after a week-long journey to the Moon. Unfortunately, it ended up on its side in a shallow crater in the Moon’s Mons Mouton region, approximately 820 feet away from its intended landing site. Less than a day after touchdown, Athena was declared non-operational. However, Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus has now revealed that the lander wasn’t completely dead on arrival and that the "mission continued" before its untimely end.

Intuitive Machines has also released a 360-degree image of Athena’s descent, compiled from the lander’s four onboard cameras.

During its descent, Athena’s altimeter failed, preventing it from measuring its distance from the lunar surface. As a result, the lander crashed onto a lunar plateau, toppled over, and skidded across the surface before coming to rest in a small crater, according to Ars Technica. The lander’s movement kicked up dust from the surface, which covered its solar panels and reduced its ability to generate power. With the lander on its side and its solar panels covered in dust, there was little chance of it using them to generate power.

The lander was equipped with NASA science tools and instruments as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Immediately after touchdown, the team accelerated payload operations, transmitting valuable data before Athena’s batteries were completely depleted, according to Altemus. "In just 12 hours of surface operations, we gathered extremely valuable data for our customers," he wrote in his statement.

This is Intuitive Machines’ second trip to the Moon, and the second time its lander has ended up in an unfortunate position. The company launched its first lunar lander, Odysseus, in February 2024. Odysseus successfully reached the lunar surface but landed awkwardly, with one of its legs possibly getting caught during descent, causing it to tip over on its side and end up lying sideways on a rock. Despite this, the mission operated for seven days on the lunar surface, making Intuitive Machines the first company to land a private lander on the Moon.

Athena, however, was not as fortunate. Nevertheless, it had a parting message for its team. "In the mission’s final moments, Athena powered down. But unexpectedly, the lander woke up one last time, sending a transmission that resonated beyond technology – it was personal," Altemus wrote. "Athena’s last data transmission contained the names of every Intuitive Machines team member who made her mission possible."