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Athena landed sideways in a crater. Again. Intuitive Machines' south pole dream cut short.
NASA confirmed Intuitive Machines' IM-2 Athena lander ended operations less than 13 hours after landing at Mons Mouton. The lander settled on its side in a crater ~250 m off-target after an altimeter failure. Despite the anomaly, 250 MB of science data was returned and PRIME-1 demonstrated full hardware range of motion. Mission contract value: $62.5M.
Two legs pointing at the sky. IM-2's south pole mission is over.
Spaceflight Now coverage of IM-2 mission end: Athena landed on its side ~820 ft from its intended site inside a shadowed crater at Mons Mouton. The orientation prevented sufficient solar power generation in the crater's cold shadows. Intuitive Machines' stock fell 20% on the news. MAPP rover and Grace hopper could not be deployed.
Second commercial lander, second tipover. Is the lunar south pole cursed?
NPR's account of the IM-2 landing anomaly, covering the moment mission control reported "we don't believe we're in the correct attitude." Context on why south pole landings are uniquely difficult — permanent shadows, terrain complexity, and limited solar power margins. Notes Firefly's successful Blue Ghost landing just days prior.