Athena, a spacecraft developed by the private sector, equipped with the latest technology and scientific experiments, has successfully landed on the moon. Although it might be slightly off its intended position, it is operational.

“It appears we didn’t achieve the expected landing orientation on the moon’s surface—once again,” Intuitive Machines’ CEO, Steve Altemus, mentioned during a press briefing held three and a half hours post-landing. “However, I can confirm that Athena’s batteries are charging on the moon’s surface… We’re maintaining communication… We’re able to send instructions to the spacecraft.”

Confirming Athena’s precise location on the moon might take a few more days, according to officials. Nevertheless, Athena is now fully functional on the lunar surface. It accompanies Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost, another private lander that arrived on the moon last Sunday. This increases the number of active American missions on the lunar surface to two. These consecutive accomplishments are viewed as vital steps towards future manned lunar missions as part of NASA’s ambitious Artemis program.

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The tension was palpable towards the end of the live broadcast for Athena’s landing, which concluded abruptly without a clear update on the lander’s condition. “We can verify that Athena has landed on the moon,” said Josh Marshall, the communications director at Intuitive Machines, somewhat tersely around 12:52 P.M. EST—20 minutes past the scheduled landing time. “We’re currently determining the spacecraft’s orientation, crucial for our antenna systems to understand how much signal we’ll receive,” he added. Later, NASA also confirmed via X (formerly Twitter) that Athena had landed as scheduled at about 12:30 P.M. EST.

“Landing on the moon is incredibly challenging, a fact we’re all reminded of today,” acknowledged Nicky Fox, NASA’s associate administrator of the Science Mission Directorate, at the same briefing. “This mission aimed at a previously unexplored lunar region… We’re eager to collaborate with Intuitive Machines to extract as much scientific and technological data as possible.”

Unlike the 45-day journey of Blue Ghost to the moon, Athena’s trip lasted just over a week. The spacecraft launched on February 26, entered lunar orbit by March 3, and after orbiting the moon for three days (while transmitting live images), it began its descent early on March 6. At 12:15 P.M. EST, Athena commenced its final approach. Although the landing process primarily went smoothly, no definitive updates on the spacecraft’s status were available by 12:31 P.M. EST, its scheduled landing time.

This landing was a chance for redemption for Intuitive Machines following the skewed landing of Odysseus, Athena’s predecessor, which impacted its operations on the lunar surface. Regrettably, Athena seems to have encountered a similar issue. However, it’s noteworthy that reaching the surface has brought us closer than ever to the resource-rich lunar south pole, specifically to Mons Mouton, a potential future landing site for Artemis astronauts. “We have definitely landed on Mons Mouton,” confirmed Tim Crain, Intuitive Machines’ chief growth officer, during the briefing.

Despite its probable misalignment, Athena remains responsive to commands to activate or deactivate its payloads, as reported by Altemus. This responsiveness suggests a strong possibility that many of Athena’s planned activities could still go ahead. Once the lander’s precise orientation is determined, Intuitive Machines will consult with NASA to prioritize the scientific and technological goals.

Athena’s skewed positioning might diminish some capabilities, but it still carries a rich assortment of demonstration instruments. For instance, it includes NASA’s PRIME-1, which features a drill and a mass spectrometer intended to chemically analyze lunar soil for water ice and other volatiles. This information could support future missions aimed at extracting these resources to produce drinking water, breathable air, and even rocket fuel. Additionally, the Micro Nova Hopper, developed by Intuitive Machines with NASA funding, aims to demonstrate a new mode of lunar transport through a series of small hops towards a nearby, permanently shadowed crater.

Other significant instruments aboard include Nokia’s Lunar Surface Communications System, which establishes a 4G/LTE network among mission elements, and a laser retroreflector array for precise location tracking on the lunar surface. These instruments showcase the extensive collaboration between NASA and private enterprises under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.

For the next 10 days, both Athena and Blue Ghost will operate continuously in their respective locations: Athena near the south pole, and Blue Ghost around Mare Crisium, a crater on the moon’s northeastern near side. They will also be operational during a total lunar eclipse, visible from Earth on the night of March 13 and the early morning of March 14, when the moon will pass through Earth’s shadow and take on a blood-red hue.

Despite initial communication challenges, Athena marks the third successful lunar landing under NASA’s CLPS program. The first, Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander, faced a propellant leak after its January 2024 launch, preventing it from reaching the moon. CLPS has committed $2.6 billion to various payloads and launches through 2028, gradually advancing U.S. preparedness for a crewed lunar mission. Currently, 14 different companies have been selected by NASA to deliver various scientific and technological payloads to the moon. For instance, some of Blue Ghost’s payloads demonstrate methods to clean hardware covered in hazardous lunar dust and operate radiation-hardened computers on the lunar surface.

“With each CLPS mission, the United States is leading the way in expanding our reach and refining our capabilities, turning what were once dreams into reality,” said NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro in a press release that immediately followed Athena’s departure from Earth.

The U.S. isn’t alone in its commercial lunar exploration efforts. Japan’s Resilience lunar lander, developed by private company ispace, launched alongside Blue Ghost in January but is following a slower trajectory. This launch marked a historic first, with three landers simultaneously en route to the moon. Meanwhile, other nations, notably China, continue their own lunar exploration programs, aiming for independent human landings.

Beyond NASA’s significant financial resources, the private sector’s agility in mission development contrasts with the typically slower pace at the space agency. Odysseus departed for the moon about a year before Athena, providing Intuitive Machines limited time to address the issues experienced during Odysseus’s landing to prevent them from reoccurring with Athena. Both Intuitive Machines and Firefly Aerospace will have roughly the same amount of time to prepare for their next missions, which will involve successors to their currently active lunar spacecraft. The rapid turnaround of technological improvements by the teams behind Athena and Blue Ghost is notable, reflecting the intensifying competition between the U.S. and China in the modern lunar race.

“Building, improving, and sending a new spacecraft to the moon in just nine months,” noted Crain, who had some initial reservations about how Athena’s enhancements would perform. In many respects, Athena exceeded expectations. “The future is bright for Intuitive Machines to land lots of cargo on the moon,” he added.

“These science and technology demonstrations are more than just payloads—they lay the groundwork for future explorers who will live and work on the moon,” said Petro in NASA’s recent press release. “By partnering with American industry, we are fostering innovation, strengthening our leadership in space, and preparing for sending humans farther into the solar system, including Mars.”

“We will be able to live and work on the lunar surface with humans. We will be able to land humans on Mars,” concluded Clayton Turner, associate administrator of NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate, at the same briefing. “That work has to start with days like today.”

Editor’s Note (3/6/25): This article was edited after posting to include updates on the status of Athena.