A day after landing a vessel on the moon, Intuitive Machines confirmed March 7 the vessel is on its side and will be unable to charge, ending the mission.
The vessel, named Athena, landed on its side in the area of Mons Mouton, a region near the lunar south pole, officials with the mission confirmed March 6. Due to the position of its solar panels and the temperatures in the crater, officials said they don't expect Athena to recharge.
"The mission has concluded and teams are continuing to assess the data collected throughout the mission," according to an update posted on Intuitive Machines' website on March 7.
Despite this, those overseeing the mission were able to "accelerate several programs" and hit several payload goals prior to the lander's batteries running out, according to the update.
Officials said March 6 they knew the lander was in the region of Mons Mouton, which sits near the lunar south pole, but they did not know the precise location of it. They confirmed March 7 Athena landed 250 meters from its intended landing site, making the mission "the southernmost lunar landing and surface operations ever achieved," according to the update.
Despite the mission ending, officials said they believe the information gathered from the mission will assist in helping further explore the area.
Posted at 4:15 p.m., March 6
Roughly a week after launching from Florida, Intuitive Machines’ newest moon vessel landed on the lunar surface March 6.
While the status of the vessel is still to be determined in several ways, the vessel is operating, communicating and sending data to several sites all around the world, officials said at a March 6 news conference following the landing.
What readers need to know
Houston-based Intuitive Machines launched its second moon lander, named Athena, in as many years Feb. 26, with the mission calling for the lander to collect data both for NASA and several private partners.
The landing, which is part of a mission titled IM-2, happened in the late morning of March 6 near the lunar south pole in an area named Mons Mouton, which is roughly as tall as Mount McKinley, said Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s science mission directorate, at the March 6 news conference.
The area is about 20,000 feet higher than any neighboring features and is believed to have been untouched for billions of years, Fox said.
“It is a very scientifically strategic location,” she said.
Despite this, the area is a large one—around the size of Delaware—and officials said they are still trying to determine the precise location of the lander. They are also trying to determine its status in terms of whether it’s upright or not.
Intuitive Machines co-founder and CEO Steve Altemus said at the press conference that information will come in the coming days and weeks. As it stands, the vessel is charging on the surface and is communicating.
“Anytime you ship a spacecraft to Florida for flight and end up operating on the moon, I declare that a success,” Altemus said.
Diving in deeper
While details of the vessel’s status, including its orientation and its exact location, are yet to be determined, officials at the press conference said there were promising signs.
All of the vessel’s radios were active, said Tim Crain, Intuitive Machines chief growth officer, at the press conference. Furthermore, officials were able to send commands to the vessel.
Crain did add that the vessel is likely outside of the 50-meter ellipses that was established prior to the mission.
On its orientation, the available data suggests the vessel may be on its side. However, Altemus said he didn’t want to declare that until he saw more data and images from the lander. The orientation could determine whether the lander can carry out certain objectives.
“I don’t have a good sense of that today,” Altemus said.
Why it matters
The lander is carrying several payloads with technology from NASA and other private companies. That technology will measure the moon’s soil for potential resources, among other objectives, including drilling into the surface, according to a March 4 news release from the agency.
The mission is also part of the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services, or CLPS, initiative, through which NASA is working with several companies based in the United States to send technology and science payloads to the moon, the release states.
The CLPS initiative could have a maximum contract value of $2.6 billion through 2028, according to the release, with Intuitive Machines receiving a contract for $62.5 million.
Remember this?
Intuitive Machines in February last year launched a payload to the moon as well as part of a mission titled IM-1, Community Impact previously reported.
While officials called the landing a success at the time, the moon lander, named Odysseus, was tilted over upon landing.
“We’ve made considerable strides since mission one,” Altemus said at the March 6 news conference.
Stay tuned
In the coming weeks, those involved in the mission, including NASA and Intuitive Machines, will be giving updates on the vessel in terms of its location and status, officials said at the press conference.
Meanwhile, officials talked briefly about the third mission, called IM-3, which is scheduled a year from now, Altemus said. However, he said that could change.
A fourth mission, titled IM-4, is scheduled for 2027, according to NASA's website.
