Intuitive Machines' Second Moon Landing Faces Setback

The Athena lander of Intuitive Machines encountered navigation and laser sensor problems during its second lunar exploration affecting its overall performance on the lunar surface.

Houston-based startup Intuitive Machines suffered another failure when performing its second moon landing. The Athena lander managed by the company suffered from laser rangefinder problems which caused its off-nominal landing position when it landed on its side. The space mission started from SpaceX rocket launch on February 26 when the lander attempted to reach an area located near the lunar South Pole 100 miles off its planned destination.

CEO Steve Altemus used Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) information to verify that the lander had landed too steeply which generated previous concerns about improper alignment. The power generation system of the lander encountered operational difficulties because it rested at an improper angle.

The company faces these technical problems with optimism. Guy Meyers who serves as Chief Technology Officer indicated how the lunar mission enabled significant progress in recognizing lunar craters. Altemus suggested that the startup's third lunar mission would wait for the upcoming communications satellite deployment before proceeding at the start of the following year.

The Commercial Lunar Payload Services program part of NASA includes Intuitive Machines as one of many startup companies developing new moon exploration technologies. The stock values of the company experienced a decline after the news breakout by dropping 36%. The successful first lunar mission occurred the year before but the startup now deals with increasing obstacles and mounting pressure as it works to tackle technical problems in its lunar objectives.