The Athena lander, which touched down on the Moon on Thursday, was declared dead after it toppled over due to landing in rugged terrain over 1,300 feet off its target. Intuitive Machines indicated the lander could not recharge its batteries because it was stranded in the shade of a crater. Although it managed to collect and send some data, including a photo of Earth, the mission ended shortly after touchdown. This marked Intuitive Machines' second failed lunar landing attempt, raising concerns about future missions.
Athena's landing point was off by over 1,300 feet, resulting in the lander toppling over in a crater, rendering the mission unsuccessful.
'With the direction of the Sun, the orientation of the solar panels, and extreme cold temperatures in the crater, Intuitive Machines does not expect Athena to recharge.'
Intuitive Machines' CEO Steve Altemus stated, 'we don't believe we're on the correct attitude on the surface, yet again,' signaling repeat failures.
Despite the setbacks, Athena successfully transmitted 250MB of data and captured an image looking out to Earth before losing functionality.
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