The second lunar lander by Intuitive Machines has successfully landed on the Moon, but not without encountering some issues. The Athena vehicle, similar to the company’s previous Odysseus lander, may not be in an upright position upon touchdown. CEO Steve Altemus expressed his concerns during a post-landing news conference, stating that he does not believe Athena is correctly oriented on the lunar surface.
Confirmation of Athena’s position will come in the following days once the team receives images from the lunar reconnaissance orbital camera. Data from the lander’s inertial measurement unit suggests a sideways orientation. Despite this, Athena has landed approximately 100 miles from the lunar south pole, meeting its designated landing zone.
Athena is a crucial part of Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission, a collaboration with NASA aimed at reintroducing crewed missions to the Moon. The lander carries a variety of payloads and scientific instruments designed to search for traces of water on the lunar surface.
While Odysseus, the company’s previous lander, was the first privately owned spacecraft to reach the Moon, it unfortunately toppled over upon landing. In contrast, rival company Firefly Aerospace successfully landed its Blue Ghost spacecraft upright on the lunar surface earlier in the same week.
Currently, Athena is operational on the Moon’s surface and is in communication with the mission team on Earth. However, there are concerns about its performance not meeting expectations. Altemus mentioned that there are issues with power generation and communications, which could affect the lander’s ten-day mission duration. The company has implemented power conservation measures to maximize the mission’s objectives.
Once Athena’s orientation is confirmed, the team will assess the functionality of the payloads and instruments onboard. These include a drill for ice exploration and a hopping drone vehicle scheduled to investigate a permanently shadowed crater.
This article was originally published on Engadget at .
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