Before it died, Athena sent a heartfelt message for 'everyone who made it possible'
Athena, the private lander sent to the moon was declared dead after it landed on its side. Intuitive Machines said it did send one last message. Science & Tech
Athena, a private lander sent to the moon last week, met an unexpected fate as it ended up inside a crater. While the world thought it was dead on arrival, Intuitive Machines, the company behind it, has now said that it sent one last message. The Houston-based aerospace company has shared Athena Lander’s final moments and how it came alive for some time, sending valuable data. Intuitive Machines also released a 360-degree image of Athena’s descent taken by the four cameras on it.
Athena took a week-long trip to the moon and reached on March 6. But it could not land on its intended site and ended up on its side in a shallow crater in the Moon’s Mons Mouton region. After several attempts to establish contact, the lander was declared dead.
Also Read: Terminator' on Moon: An X and V will appear soon. Here is when to watch
However, Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus has now revealed it flickered to life and the “mission pressed forward” before it went down completely. The lander was carrying NASA science tools and instruments as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. The team accelerated payload operations just when it touched down which led to precious data being transmitted before Athena’s batteries completely depleted. “In just 12 hours of surface operations, we gathered extraordinarily valuable data for our customers,” Altemus wrote in a statement.
The personal message sent by Athena
The lander sent what Altemus termed a "personal" message. "In the mission’s final moments, Athena powered down. But unexpectedly, the lander woke up one last time, sending a transmission that resonated beyond technology—it was personal," Altemus wrote. "Athena’s last data transmission contained the names of every Intuitive Machines team member who made her mission possible."
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
Also Read: 'Once in 1,000 years...': NASA says asteroid 2024 YR4 can hit the Moon. Is Earth safe?
What happened to Athena
Athena could not land on the intended site and ended up 820 feet away from it. Its altimeter failed, and the lander couldn’t measure how far it was from the lunar surface. It hit a lunar plateau and toppled over, skidding on the dusty surface and ending up in a small crater. It kicked up dust while moving across the surface, which covered its solar panels ending all possibilities of using its solar panels for power.
Intuitive Machines sent its first mission to the moon in February 2024. Named Odysseus, it also failed to successfully land on the surface and ended up on its side. According to reports, one of its legs likely got caught during descent. However, it worked for seven days, and the company was credited with becoming the first to land a private lander on the moon.
