A recent photograph of the Athena Moon lander lying on its side on the lunar surface has confirmed that the spacecraft has suffered a fatal mishap. Initial signs of trouble emerged shortly after Athena's descent, leading to concerns about the mission's success. While the lander reached the Moon's surface near its intended destination at Mons Mouton, it ultimately came to rest approximately 800 feet away from its target, highlighting a significant deviation from its planned trajectory.
The Athena lander was unable to maintain an upright position, which prevented the majority of its scientific payloads from functioning as intended. The dramatic photograph shows a lunar slope illuminated by a thin sliver of sunlight, with a crescent Earth shining in the background. Unfortunately, from its current position, Athena cannot produce any power. According to Intuitive Machines, the company behind the mission, “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.” This unfortunate turn of events has led to the conclusion of the mission, although teams will continue to assess the data collected throughout the mission.
The failure of the Athena lander raises renewed concerns about NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which aims to collaborate with private-sector partners to deliver scientific instruments to the Moon more affordably. Out of the four CLPS missions launched to date, only Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander, which successfully touched down last week, has achieved its scientific goals without significant issues. Athena's unfortunate fate mirrors that of its predecessor, Odysseus, which also tipped over upon landing last year. Additionally, a previous mission by Astrobotic Technology failed to reach the Moon entirely due to a propulsion malfunction.
The stock market reacted sharply to Athena's failure, with shares of Intuitive Machines plummeting by 20% on Thursday and continuing to slide on Friday, dropping below $9 from a peak of over $13 before the landing. In light of these setbacks, NASA officials have sought to highlight the positive aspects of the mission. Nicola Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s science mission directorate, emphasized that these commercial endeavors serve as valuable learning experiences. She stated, “Our goal is to set American companies up to establish a lunar economy on the surface. And that means that even if it doesn’t land perfectly, we always learn lessons that we can provide and use in the future.”
However, the recent setbacks raise significant questions regarding the viability of NASA’s strategy for lunar exploration, as reported by The New York Times. The space agency has already made substantial investments in robotic missions, including the Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover (VIPER), which is designed to analyze lunar water resources. Initially intended for delivery aboard Astrobotic’s upcoming CLPS mission, VIPER's future now remains uncertain as NASA reevaluates its funding and mission priorities.
