Last year, the Houston-based space company became the first private firm to successfully land a spacecraft on the moon, but the mission faced challenges.
The company is gearing up for its second attempt at placing a spacecraft on the moon’s surface with its Athena lander, which is scheduled to land near Mons Mouton, a flat-topped mountain situated about 100 miles from the moon’s south pole, around 12:30 p.m. EST today.
An Expedition to Discover Water Ice by Intuitive Machines
Should this mission succeed, it will represent a significant advancement in commercial lunar exploration and bring NASA and private enterprises closer to discovering the mysteries of the moon’s south pole, where it is thought valuable water ice deposits may exist.
Athena, a solar-powered lander approximately 15 feet tall—comparable in height to a shorter adult giraffe—houses various scientific instruments. These include a drill created by NASA, designed to penetrate around three feet beneath the lunar surface in search of volatile compounds like water.
Certain craters located near the moon’s south pole are perpetually shrouded in darkness, leading scientists to believe that water ice might be concealed beneath the surface. This water could serve as an essential resource for future lunar bases, providing both drinking water and potentially fuel for spacecraft. Multiple nations are vying to be the first to investigate and possibly claim these resources.
A Team of Small Rovers
Although Athena will remain in a fixed position post-landing, it is equipped with a series of small rovers intended for lunar surface exploration.
One of the rovers, named Grace, is designed to hop over the moon’s surface with the assistance of a small rocket engine.
Another rover aims to navigate automatically across the rugged lunar landscape.
Japan’s Dymon Corporation has included a compact, rolling rover known as YAOKI, tasked with taking photographs of the landing area.
Landing on the moon poses significant challenges due to the absence of an atmosphere, which renders parachutes ineffective for reducing a spacecraft’s descent speed. Consequently, the lander must depend on precise thruster firings to direct itself for a safe landing—without real-time human intervention.
Due to the distance of the moon from Earth, communication delays prevent mission control from guiding the lander in real-time; therefore, Athena needs to autonomously navigate and land while avoiding obstacles such as rocks and craters.
Furthermore, commercial lunar missions frequently operate on tighter budgets compared to government-funded projects, resulting in a higher appetite for risk concerning mission failures. This heightened risk was demonstrated just yesterday when NASA lost communication with Lunar Trailblazer, which was traveling to the moon alongside Athena.
Intuitive Machines made headlines last year by being the first private entity to land a spacecraft on the moon, although the mission was not without issues. The lander miscalculated its descent, impacted the surface too forcefully, and toppled onto its side, thereby breaking a landing leg. This time around, the company is optimistic about achieving a smoother landing, applying the insights learned from its previous attempt.
The attempt by Intuitive Machines to land occurs mere days after another private firm, Firefly Aerospace, successfully accomplished its first moon landing. Both missions are part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which aims to leverage private industry to accelerate lunar exploration.
If Athena successfully lands, it will be a significant achievement for commercial space endeavors and bring humanity closer to establishing a permanent presence on the moon.