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Intuitive Machines Lander Touches Down on Moon, but Lands Wonky


Published on 2025-03-07 03:22:28 - CNET
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  • Intuitive Machines aimed for a gentle touchdown of its IM-2 Athena lander, which was packed with rovers, a drone and a NASA moon drill. The company is still assessing the landing.

Intuitive Machines' Odysseus lander successfully touched down on the Moon, marking the first U.S. lunar landing in over 50 years, but it encountered issues during its descent. The lander, part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, landed in a less than optimal orientation, with its solar panels not facing the sun as intended, which could affect its power generation capabilities. Despite this, the lander managed to send back a faint signal, indicating some level of functionality. The mission aimed to deliver scientific experiments and technology demonstrations to the lunar surface, but the "wonky" landing has raised concerns about the full execution of these objectives. Engineers are currently assessing the situation to understand the lander's condition and to determine what operations can still be performed.

Read the Full CNET Article at:
[ https://www.msn.com/en-us/technology/space-exploration/intuitive-machines-lander-touches-down-on-moon-but-lands-wonky/ar-AA1AkxEr ]