lunar lander from Intuitive Machines successfully touches down on the moon, potentially posing on its side
Intuitive Machines' Athena lander, built for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, failed to stay upright during its second Moon landing attempt on March 6, 2025. The lander touched down on its side inside a shallow crater near the lunar south pole, causing its solar panels to face away from the Sun and preventing recharging of the lander's batteries.
The rugged and shadowy terrain of Mons Mouton, a lunar plateau, contributed to the lander toppling over roughly 250 meters away from its intended target. The tilted position also partially blocked its antenna, further disrupting communication with mission control.
This was not the first time Intuitive Machines faced this issue, as their first lander also tipped over upon landing. The company is reportedly making design adjustments in hopes of a more successful third landing attempt.
Athena was packed with NASA science instruments and tools, including the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1), which consists of a drill and mass spectrometer to explore the Moon's subsurface for traces of water ice. Other instruments onboard Athena were designed to search for resources on the Moon.
The landing attempt was intended to prepare for a sustainable human presence on the lunar surface, according to NASA. Intuitive Machines is planning a second Moon landing near the satellite's south pole, and the landing opportunity is on Thursday at 12:32 p.m. ET.
NASA's Artemis missions aim to send a crewed mission to the Moon beginning next year, with the lunar surface already being a busy place and a semi-permanent human presence on the horizon. Other private companies, such as Firefly Aerospace, have also successfully landed on the Moon.
The live stream of the landing attempt will be available on Intuitive Machines' IM-2 mission page and on NASA. After its descent, Athena will fly autonomously all the way down to the lunar surface. Among the instruments onboard Athena is the Nokia Lunar Surface Communications System, a cellular communication network designed to connect the lander with a Lunar Outpost rover and the Micro Nova hopper.
Grace, a Micro-Nova robot, is also aboard Athena and is designed to hop in and out of nearby craters on the Moon. Athena launched on February 26 on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, and another private lander, the Japanese company ispace's Resilience lander, hitched a ride on the same SpaceX rocket and is expected to touch down in April.
As of Thursday, 4:14 p.m. ET, the company is still working to determine the orientation of the Athena lander on the Moon's surface. Despite the hard landing and compromised orientation, the lander did manage to transmit limited data before going silent the next day.
[1] Space.com
[2] NASA
[3] The Verge
- The Athena lander, a technological marvel, was intended to serve as a part of NASA's CLPS program, with its failure during the second Moon landing attempt on March 6, 2025, causing concern and sparking discussions in the world of space-and-astronomy.
- Despite the hard landing and compromised orientation on the Moon's surface, the Athena lander managed to transmit limited data before going silent the next day, providing a glimpse into the future of lunar exploration and commercial technology.
- In an attempt to correct the issues faced during the previous attempts, Intuitive Machines is reportedly making design adjustments in hopes of a more successful third landing attempt, demonstrating the relentless pursuit of technological advancement in the realm of science.
- Space and technology enthusiasts can follow the upcoming third landing attempt of Athena on Intuitive Machines' IM-2 mission page and NASA's resources, with the live stream offering an exciting opportunity for both experts and novices to witness the evolution of technology in the future of space and lunar exploration.
