NEW DELHI: On March 6, 2025, at 17:30 UTC, Intuitive Machines’ Athena lander successfully touched down near the Mons Mouton region of the Moon’s south pole. However, preliminary assessments suggest that the landing did not go as planned, potentially affecting the lander’s ability to carry out its mission. While Athena remains powered and in communication with Earth, its exact operational status remains uncertain, pending confirmation from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter.
SpaceX’s Role in the Mission
Athena was launched on February 26, 2025, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, further highlighting SpaceX’s growing role in private lunar exploration. This mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which aims to support commercial ventures in space exploration.
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However, during its final approach, Athena experienced issues with its laser navigation system, leading to an uncertain landing orientation. If the lander is tilted or positioned incorrectly, its scientific instruments may face challenges in functioning as intended.
A Global Effort: Contributions from Multiple Countries
The Athena Moon lander mission represents an international collaboration led by Intuitive Machines under NASA’s CLPS initiative.
📸🧵3/4: For reference, Athena captured this image sequence over the Moon’s south pole region near her intended landing site, Mons Mouton—one of NASA’s designated human landing sites for the Artemis campaign. pic.twitter.com/mQx4gbjMw7
— Intuitive Machines (@Int_Machines) March 4, 2025
- NASA provided funding and scientific instruments, including the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1) drill, designed to analyze subsurface material for water ice.
- Germany, through the German Aerospace Center (DLR), contributed the Grace Hopper drone, designed to explore permanently shadowed lunar regions.
- The United Kingdom also played a role, with British researchers developing scientific instruments for the mission.
Crypto on the Moon: A Unique “Interplanetary Scavenger Hunt”
In a groundbreaking initiative, Athena carried a cryptocurrency payload worth $250,000—a project designed to spark interest in space exploration. The digital treasure, placed by companies like LunarCrush, is stored on a hardware wallet integrated into the lander. Future lunar explorers will need to physically retrieve the wallet from the Moon’s surface to claim the crypto reward.
Mission Objectives and Challenges
Athena’s primary goal was to search for water ice—a critical resource for future lunar missions. Using the PRIME-1 drill, it aimed to extract and analyze subsurface samples for signs of water. Additionally, the Grace Hopper drone was set to investigate shadowed lunar craters, believed to contain ice deposits.
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However, landing near the Moon’s south pole is notoriously difficult due to its rugged terrain and extreme lighting conditions. The unstable touchdown has raised concerns about Athena’s ability to execute its planned experiments effectively.
Financial Repercussions
Following reports of Athena’s uncertain status, Intuitive Machines’ stock plummeted 29.5% in extended trading. This sharp decline reflects investor anxiety over the mission’s success and the company’s long-term prospects in the competitive space industry.
Despite the challenges, Intuitive Machines and NASA are working to analyze Athena’s current condition and salvage as much of the mission’s scientific objectives as possible. The outcome of this mission will offer crucial lessons for future commercial lunar landings, particularly those targeting the Moon’s south polar regions, where NASA’s Artemis program plans to establish a long-term presence.
As space agencies and private companies continue to push the boundaries of lunar exploration, the world eagerly awaits further updates on Athena’s fate and its scientific contributions.