Moon Lander from Intuitive Machines Experiences Fatal Overturn

Lunar vehicle from Intuitive Machines has been confirmed stationary and tilted after a unfortunate mishap.

Intuitive Machines' Lunar Missions: A Mixed Bag of Success and Challenges

In a series of historic firsts, Houston-based company Intuitive Machines has made significant strides in lunar exploration. The company's journey began in February 2024 with the launch of its first lunar lander, Odysseus.

Odysseus, named after the legendary Greek hero, successfully reached the Moon's surface but ended up lying sideways on a rock, possibly due to one of its legs getting caught during descent. Despite the mishap, the lander operated for seven days on the lunar surface, making it the first private company to achieve this feat.

Fast forward to February 2025, Intuitive Machines launched another lander, Athena, as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Athena touched down on the Moon on Thursday around 12:30 p.m. ET, but ended up 250 meters away from its targeted landing site in Mons Mouton. Athena is currently on its side inside a crater on the Moon.

The batteries of Athena have died due to the direction of the sun, the orientation of the solar panels, and extreme cold temperatures in the crater. As a result, the lander is not expected to recharge. Despite this setback, Athena was packed with NASA science tools and instruments, including a Micro-Nova robot named Grace.

Grace, a small robot designed to hop in and out of nearby craters on the Moon, was part of Athena's mission. The data collected by Grace and the rest of Athena's instruments will be analysed by teams as the mission has concluded.

Looking ahead, Intuitive Machines aims to launch its third mission later this year. The company's CEO, Stephen (Steve) Altemus, has announced that they plan to learn from the experiences of Odysseus and Athena to ensure a successful, upright landing on the Moon with the IM-3 mission scheduled for 2026.

The Odysseus mission may have ended in a sideways landing, but it paved the way for private companies to explore the Moon. With the IM-3 mission on the horizon, Intuitive Machines is determined to make a lasting impact on lunar exploration.