Intuitive Machines' Athena lunar lander has concluded its mission prematurely just one day after successfully landing on the moon's south pole and tipping over. Despite the setback, the company reported that it was able to deploy several experiments before the lander lost power. This incident follows a similar failure with the Odysseus spacecraft landing last February. The failure was attributed to the lander's solar panel orientation and the extreme cold at the landing site, preventing battery recharge. Intuitive Machines continues to analyze the data collected during the brief mission.
Intuitive Machines' Athena lunar lander had a brief mission duration, as it tipped over and failed just one day after its lunar landing.
Despite its mission ending prematurely, Intuitive Machines managed to deploy key experiments, including NASA's Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment.
The orientation of Athena's solar panels and extreme cold hindered its ability to recharge, ultimately leading to the conclusion of the mission.
This marks the second failure for Intuitive Machines, as their previous Odysseus spacecraft also tipped over after landing on the moon last February.
Collection
[
|
...
]