A privately built spacecraft, known as Athena, has landed on the moon but is not standing upright, according to its operator, Intuitive Machines. This mission is significant as it aims to search for water on the lunar surface.
Athena successfully slowed down from a speed of over 4,000 miles per hour before touching down on Mons Mouton, a ridge located about 100 miles from the moon’s south pole. However, Steve Altemus, the CEO of Intuitive Machines, expressed concerns during a news conference, stating, "We don’t believe we’re in the correct attitude on the surface of the moon, yet again." This is particularly worrying as last year, another Intuitive Machines spacecraft fell over after landing due to a rocky obstacle.
While the lander responded to commands from mission control, it did not immediately send back images, which was expected. As a result, the company’s shares dropped while engineers worked to establish full communication with the spacecraft.
The south pole region of the moon is a key area for future NASA missions, as astronauts are scheduled to land there in two years. Athena’s challenging descent highlights the risks involved in lunar exploration. If the lander can power up its systems, it will deploy the first privately built robotic rover on the moon. This rover is designed to create a 3D map of the terrain and test a high-speed mobile communications network.
The primary goal of this mission is to find water. Athena is equipped with a drill capable of reaching one meter below the surface. It will also release a small ‘hopper’ that will bounce into a deep, permanently shadowed crater, where ice may exist. Professor Katherine Joy, a planetary geologist at the University of Manchester and advisor to NASA’s Artemis mission, noted that orbiting spacecraft have detected signs of water in these craters, but ground confirmation is needed.
These craters can reach extremely low temperatures, around -230 degrees Celsius (-382 degrees Fahrenheit), which can preserve ice for millions of years. If water is found, it could be used for drinking, producing oxygen, and even creating rocket fuel for future missions.