Intuitive Machines' Athena spacecraft has successfully landed on the Moon, but the private aerospace company's celebration may be short-lived. Similar to its first lunar lander, Odysseus, Athena appears to be oriented on its side, which could impact the mission's duration and objectives.

The Athena lander, part of Intuitive Machines' partnership with NASA to return future crewed missions to the Moon, touched down just 100 miles from the lunar south pole. However, data from Athena's Inertial Measurement Unit suggests that the spacecraft is "oriented somewhat on our side," according to Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus. This echoes the fate of Odysseus, which toppled over during its own landing last year.

The IM-2 mission, launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on February 26th, carries 11 payloads and scientific instruments designed to find evidence of water on the lunar surface. Despite the orientation issues, Athena is currently charging on the surface and communicating with the mission ground network team on Earth. However, performance is sub-optimal, which may cut the lander's ten-day lifespan short.

"We have done some power conservation steps as prudent measures to see how long and what objectives we can accomplish in the mission going forward," Altemus said. "It will be off-nominal, because we're not getting everything that we had asked for in terms of power generation, communications."

Once the orientation of the lander is confirmed, the IM-2 team can then establish how many of Athena's payloads and scientific instruments are fully operational. This includes a drill designed to search for ice and a hopping drone vehicle named Grace that aims to explore a permanently shadowed crater for the first time.

The Athena lander's uncertain orientation comes just days after the successful landing of Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost private lander, which touched down on March 2nd in an upright, stable configuration. The contrast between the two landers' performances raises questions about Intuitive Machines' design and testing processes.

As the space industry continues to push the boundaries of lunar exploration, the Athena lander's issues serve as a reminder of the challenges and complexities involved in space travel. Despite these setbacks, Intuitive Machines remains committed to its mission and will likely learn valuable lessons from Athena's experiences.

With NASA's support, Intuitive Machines will continue to refine its technology and push forward with its lunar ambitions. As the company navigates the challenges of the Athena lander, it will be crucial to address the underlying issues and ensure that future missions are better equipped to succeed.