Where is Athena? A mysterious private moon landing leaves NASA guessing
Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Uncertain Touchdown
Athena landed near the Moon’s south pole, but even after touchdown, Mission Control wasn’t sure if it was upright.
Second Time’s Sideways?
Intuitive Machines’ last lander tipped over. This time, Athena must stay upright to deploy its rovers and drone—but its condition remains unknown.
Lunar Traffic Jam
Athena’s landing marks the second private U.S. moon landing this week, following Firefly Aerospace’s successful Blue Ghost mission.
NASA’s Gamble
NASA admits some low-cost commercial moon missions will fail, but the goal is to get more experiments to the lunar surface.
Ice-Hunting Drone
Athena carries a rocket-powered drone designed to hop into shadowed craters, searching for frozen water—key for future Moon missions.
Shared Ride, Mixed Results
Athena’s rocket also launched NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer and AstroForge’s asteroid-chasing Odin—both now struggling in space.
America’s Return
Intuitive Machines ended a 50-year U.S. moon-landing drought in 2023. Now, it’s proving whether private companies can sustain lunar exploration.
Artemis on the Horizon
These robotic landers act as scouts for NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to send astronauts to the Moon later this decade.
Who’s on the List?
Only five countries have landed on the Moon: Russia, China, India, Japan, and the U.S. But private companies may soon change that.