Intuitive Machines’ second Moon mission ends prematurely after lander confirmed to be on its side

HOUSTON – A historic U.S. robotic Moon landing’s mission is prematurely over after it was determined that the lunar lander missed its landing site and toppled over, but project officials said they still managed to complete critical tasks.On Thursday, the Nova-C lander named Athena by Intuitive Machines landed near the lunar south pole known as Mons Mouton – the southernmost lunar landing and surface operations ever achieved, IM officials said.But the landing was about 750 feet from its intended target, and images downloaded from the Moon’s surface confirmed what was initially feared: Athena was on its side, officials said, robbing the lander from accurately aligning its solar panels to recharge its batteries.”After landing, mission controllers were able to accelerate several program and payload milestones, including NASA’s PRIME-1 suite, before the lander’s batteries depleted,” Intuitive Machines officials said in a statement Friday.  “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. The mission has concluded and teams are continuing to assess the data collected throughout the mission.”Officials added the Moon’s southern pole region is lit by harsh sun angles and limited direct communication with the Earth.”This area has been avoided due to its rugged terrain and Intuitive Machines believes the insights and achievements from IM-2 will open this region for further space exploration,” company officials said.The Mons Mounton site is a candidate for NASA’s future human landing missions under the Artemis program.  Because of the Moon’s orientation, the craters on the south pole are permanently in shadow, and scientists believe there is water ice in these vast craters. Some of the payloads on Athena were to hunt for water ice, which could be utilized by human missions in the coming years to create drinking water and fuel.The first Nova-C lander, Odysseus, tipped over during the landing process in February 2024, but NASA still hailed it a success as the first American landing since 1972.The IM-2 mission was part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program and contained science investigations for NASA, along with Lonestar Data Holdings, Columbia Sportswear, Nokia, Lunar Outpost, Puli Space, Dymon Co. Ltd. and the German Aerospace Center. Despite Athena’s toppled position, NASA leadership said the mission is a success because it’s building our presence on the Moon. “Our goal is to set American companies up to establish a lunar economy on the surface. And that means that even if it doesn’t land perfectly, we always learn lessons that we can provide and use in the future,” said Nicky Fox, NASA Associate Administrator of the Science Mission Directorate.