Moon Lander Athena's Mission Cut Short After One Day

Intuitive Machines' Athena lunar lander, tasked with a historic water-hunting mission to the moon's south pole, powered down after just one day on the lunar surface. Despite landing successfully, its tilted position and extreme cold prevented solar panel recharging. While the mission fell short of its full objectives, the PRIME-1 drill partially functioned, and valuable data and images were collected. The landing marked the southernmost lunar surface operation ever. NASA, while disappointed, remains committed to supporting commercial lunar exploration efforts.