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🗞️   Athena lunar lander fails 12 hours post-landing

science

Intuitive Machines' Athena lunar lander failed after landing sideways near the moon's south pole, shutting down 12 hours later due to battery depletion [1]. This setback followed a similar failure with their previous Odysseus mission [6]. Despite landing near its intended site, the lander's misorientation hindered its mission to probe for lunar ice [9]. This was part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program aimed at advancing lunar exploration [5]. Although the mission collected some initial data [6], it's a reminder of the inherent challenges in lunar exploration [4]. Future missions by Intuitive Machines are planned to improve and learn from these setbacks [7].

Helium Trades     Mar 11, 2025