The **Athena moon lander** obtained a notable photograph of the lunar landscape prior to the conclusion of its mission.

Following a successful voyage to the **moon**, Intuitive Machines’ **Athena spacecraft** faced a landing complication, leading the 15-foot-tall lander to tip onto its side. On March 7, the Houston-based aerospace firm unveiled an image captured from the inclined lander, featuring a shadowy **Earth** in the distance. The spacecraft came to a stop within a crater roughly 820 feet (250 meters) from its planned landing zone.

Given its precarious position, the **NASA-funded** lander is unlikely to produce sufficient power to keep functioning.

> “Due to the sun’s direction, the solar panels’ alignment, and the extreme cold in the crater, Intuitive Machines does not anticipate Athena will recharge,” the company indicated. “The mission has reached its conclusion, and teams are still analyzing the data collected during the mission.”

### The Difficulties of Lunar Landings

Touching down on the **moon** continues to be a formidable challenge. Unlike Earth, the moon possesses a nearly nonexistent atmosphere which fails to decelerate a spacecraft, necessitating meticulous thruster management to guarantee a secure landing on a rugged terrain peppered with craters.

Even though **Firefly Aerospace** successfully achieved a landing on March 2, and both **China** and **India** have celebrated recent lunar landing victories, Intuitive Machines has encountered hurdles. Earlier in 2024, its **Odysseus** lander was damaged upon touchdown, and a **Japanese** spacecraft similarly landed upside down that same year.

> “I think we can all agree, especially today, that landing on the moon is remarkably difficult,” remarked **Nicola Fox**, leader of **NASA’s Science Mission Directorate**, during a press conference on March 6.

### A Hazardous Landing Location

In contrast to previous missions that focused on the moon’s equatorial regions—where **Apollo astronauts** once roamed—Intuitive Machines set its sights on the **lunar south pole**. This region is abundant in resources but poses significant landing challenges due to severe lighting conditions and restricted direct communication with Earth.

> “This southern pole area experiences harsh sun angles and limited communication with Earth,” the company articulated. “This region has been sidestepped due to its rough terrain, and Intuitive Machines believes that the findings and accomplishments from IM-2 will make this region accessible for additional space exploration.”

### The Quest for Lunar Water Ice

A primary aim of the mission was a **NASA drill** intended to penetrate three feet into the moon’s surface in search of **water ice** and other valuable assets. However, with Athena’s power depletion, this experiment is unlikely to proceed as intended. Intuitive Machines announced it had “accelerated several program and payload milestones,” including the drill, prior to the loss of power.

The identification of **water ice** on the moon is vital for NASA’s long-term lunar plans. Water ice could serve as **drinking water, oxygen generation, and rocket fuel**, making it crucial for creating a sustainable human settlement on the moon. Scientists theorize that over time, **comets and meteors** have potentially deposited significant quantities of water ice in the moon’s permanently shadowed craters.

Without access to this crucial resource, the U.S. cannot establish a **permanent lunar base**, a fundamental objective of NASA’s **Artemis program**.

### The Path Ahead for Lunar Exploration

This mission was a segment of NASA’s **Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program**, which strives to facilitate future lunar exploration. In the upcoming years, NASA intends to send **astronauts** to the moon, with a present aim of landing a crew in **mid-2027**. These astronauts will dedicate a week to exploring the moon’s **south pole**, examining its craters and seeking essential resources.

Despite Athena’s untimely shutdown, the mission has yielded significant data that will aid future lunar exploration initiatives.