The robotic spacecraft Athena, launched by Intuitive Machines, crashed while attempting to land on the moon, resulting in its premature mission termination. Initially generating some power and sending back data, the spacecraft toppled over about 250 miles from its planned landing spot. This mishap echoes a similar failure of IM's previous lunar mission, Odysseus, and raises concerns about the stability of tall, thin spacecraft designs. The loss includes valuable scientific equipment, significantly impacting future lunar research and NASA's plans to return astronauts to the moon.
The failure of Athena has highlighted the risks associated with landing designs that prioritize height and narrow profiles, leading to potential stability issues upon landing.
In the second attempt within a year to land a private spacecraft on the moon, the ‘Athena’ lander ultimately succumbed to similar design flaws that plagued its predecessor.
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