The Odysseus spacecraft, launched by the Texas-based company Intuitive Machines (IM), made history by becoming the first private mission to reach the moon. Despite this remarkable achievement, the spacecraft's journey ended in a mishap when it skidded across the lunar surface, broke a leg, and toppled over. This incident led to the loss of the Athena lander and hundreds of millions of dollars worth of equipment, including NASA’s Trident regolith drill.
The Athena lander, which was part of NASA’s $2.6 billion commercial lunar payload services (CLPS) program, initially managed to generate some power and send information back to Earth. Engineers have been tirelessly working to decipher data indicating an "incorrect attitude." Unfortunately, the lander came to rest approximately 250 miles from its intended landing site near the moon’s south pole.
Intuitive Machines had equipped the Athena lander with three robotic mobile probes. Among them was the mobile autonomous prospecting platform (Mapp), built by Colorado-based Lunar Outpost. Mapp was notable for being the first commercially built rover to reach the moon. Athena's arrival marked what Intuitive Machines described as "the most southernmost lunar landing and surface operations ever achieved."
Athena's tall and thin design raised concerns among some experts about its stability, fears that were realized during this mission. Despite the challenging conditions of the moon's southern pole region, which is characterized by harsh sun angles and limited direct communication with Earth, Intuitive Machines had hoped to open this rugged terrain for further exploration.
"This southern pole region is lit by harsh sun angles and limited direct communication with the Earth." – Intuitive Machines
"This area has been avoided due to its rugged terrain and Intuitive Machines believes the insights and achievements from IM-2 will open this region for further space exploration." – Intuitive Machines
The mission carried significant scientific potential with NASA’s Trident regolith drill on board. The drill aimed to excavate soil in search of water and other life-supporting constituents. However, with the lander's unfortunate toppling and subsequent power issues, these scientific objectives remain unfulfilled.
Intuitive Machines has acknowledged the extreme challenges faced by the Athena lander in its final resting place. The orientation of its solar panels and extreme cold temperatures in the crater have led to a grim prognosis for recharging.
"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