Athena lunar lander successfully reached the moon, but mission controllers remain uncertain about its condition and exact landing location.
Mission controllers confirmed that the Athena lunar lander successfully touched down on the moon earlier on Thursday. However, they are currently unable to ascertain the spacecraft’s status following its landing, according to the Associated Press.
The precise location of the lander remains unclear. Athena, which is owned by Intuitive Machines, was equipped with an ice drill, a drone, and two rovers for its mission. While the lander reportedly established communication with its controllers, details about its condition are still pending.
Tim Crain, mission director and co-founder of Intuitive Machines, was heard instructing his team to “keep working on the problem,” despite receiving apparent “acknowledgments” from the spacecraft in Texas.
The live stream of the mission was concluded by NASA and Intuitive Machines, who announced plans to hold a news conference later on Thursday to provide updates regarding Athena’s status.
This landing marks a significant moment for Intuitive Machines, especially following last year’s experience with their Odysseus lander, which landed sideways and created additional challenges for this mission. Athena is the second lunar lander to successfully reach the moon this week, following Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost, which made its landing on Sunday.
Will Coogan, chief engineer for Firefly, celebrated the achievement, stating, “You all stuck the landing. We’re on the moon.” The successful landing of Blue Ghost has positioned Firefly Aerospace as the first private company to successfully deploy a spacecraft on the moon without it crashing or tipping over.
As the situation with Athena unfolds, the space community eagerly awaits further updates from mission controllers regarding the lander’s condition and operational capabilities.
Source: Original article