A robotic spacecraft, Athena, built by Intuitive Machines of Houston, has stopped working just one day after landing on the moon. The lander was part of a NASA program aimed at contracting private companies to carry science instruments and technology demonstrations to the moon at a lower cost.
The company confirmed that Athena tipped onto its side, rendering its solar panels unable to face the sun and causing its batteries to drain. With this, the spacecraft’s mission came to an abrupt end, contrary to expectations.
Despite the failure, some of NASA’s payloads managed to turn on and send back data before the lander stopped working. The Blue Ghost lander by Firefly Aerospace touched down on Sunday and is conducting science experiments on another part of the moon.
Athena was carrying payloads for NASA and commercial customers, including three rovers, a rocket-powered drone, and a drill meant to search for water ice in lunar soil. Its landing site was near a flat-topped mountain named Mons Mouton, about 100 miles from the moon’s south pole.
The failure raises questions about the soundness of NASA’s strategy for spurring a profitable lunar economy on the surface. The company’s stock fell 20 percent on Thursday and continued to decline at the start of trading on Friday.
Only Sunday’s landing of the Blue Ghost spacecraft appears to be a complete success, with the two landers sent by Intuitive Machines both landing in working condition but failing to accomplish most of their science goals.
The fourth CLPS mission, by Astrobotic Technology of Pittsburgh, missed the moon entirely last year. NASA hopes that more private companies will succeed, demonstrating that lunar missions with cheaper price tags are feasible.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/07/science/intuitive-machines-moon-lander-dead.html