STORY UPDATED 7:00 PM EDT 3/6/25
Intuitive Machine’s IM-2 mission is on the lunar surface, but the vehicle’s status is uncertain. Today’s landing marks the second soft touchdown of a US manufactured spacecraft in less than a week, and only the third commercial moon landing in history. Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander touched down just four days ago.
The spacecraft, named Athena, touched down near the moon’s south pole on schedule at 12:31 PM EST. The descent and landing sequence proceeded as planned, with Athena executing an 11-minute engine burn to reduce its velocity for a soft touchdown. However, during the final moments of descent, flight controllers experienced a temporary loss of communication with the lander, which was anticipated due to the dynamics of the landing process. Upon re-establishing contact, data indicated that Athena had landed and was generating power through its solar panels. Despite these positive signs, the mission team faced challenges in confirming the lander’s exact orientation and health on the lunar surface.
Tim Crain, the mission director and co-founder of Intuitive Machines, addressed the situation, stating, “We’re on the surface. It looks like we’re down… We are working to evaluate exactly what our orientation is on the surface.” This uncertainty has prompted engineers to analyze telemetry data to assess the lander’s condition and ensure its systems are functioning optimally.
The vehicle’s orientation is critical to the success of the mission for a myriad of reasons. Among the biggest two challenges are the correct alignment of antennas to facilitate solid communication, and the orientation of the spacecraft’s solar panels, which need to be able to gather enough sunlight to keep on board batteries charged.
Intuitive Machines is reporting this afternoon that they have turned off unnecessary systems to preserve power until they can get a better handle on the vehicle’s status. The company’s first lunar mission, IM-1, was launched last year. That lander, Odesseyus, tipped over while landing, resulting in the mission ending after only a few days. Building on the lessons from Odysseus, Intuitive Machines implemented several upgrades and improvements for the Athena mission, including enhancements to software, hardware, and landing leg designs to achieve better precision and control during descent and landing.
The Athena mission, also known as IM-2, is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which aims to facilitate the delivery of scientific instruments and technology demonstrations to the lunar surface through partnerships with private companies. Athena’s primary objective is to investigate the presence of water ice and other resources near the Moon’s south pole, a region of significant interest for future human exploration under NASA’s Artemis program.
You can read more about Athena’s assigned mission here.
This is a developing story.
UPDATE
Intuitive Machines Confirms Lunar Lander Athena Is Likely on Its Side, Faces Power Challenges
HOUSTON— Intuitive Machines provided an update Friday afternoon on the status of its Athena lunar lander, revealing that the spacecraft is likely not upright on the Moon’s surface, potentially impacting mission operations.
“We don’t believe we’re in the correct attitude on the surface of the Moon, yet again,” said CEO Steve Altemus during a press conference. The lander, which touched down after a complex journey of approximately 238,000 miles (383,000 km) from Earth, has been transmitting data back to mission control. However, initial readings suggest that it may have landed on its side.
According to Altemus, an instrument known as the Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) provided the strongest indication of the lander’s orientation. “The IMU measurement was the piece of data that gave us the most clarity … so we think that’s the case,” he explained. The company is working to analyze additional telemetry and images, including planned observations from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, to confirm the spacecraft’s exact position.
The lander’s apparent tilt is creating challenges for power generation, which relies on properly positioned solar panels. “Power is off-nominal,” Altemus said, acknowledging that the spacecraft’s ability to complete all planned objectives may be affected. He also noted “challenges” with the lander’s laser rangefinders, which are crucial for precise distance measurements.
“We’re collecting photos now and downlinking those, and we’re going to get a picture from the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter camera from above, from orbit. We’ll confirm that over the coming days as we get that data down,” Altemus said.
