Firefly Aerospace landed a craft safely last week, a first for a private company. The status of Intuitive Machines’ lander is unknown.
The commercially and privately constructed Athena spacecraft landed on the moon Thursday, the second such device to do so in a week.
Intuitive Machines made it to the moon last year, but tumbled over. This time it aims to stick the landing and deliver NASA cargo closer to the lunar south pole than any other mission.
The moon lander Athena made it to the lunar surface, but its condition was unclear as mission controllers rushed to understand its status.
Athena has landed on the moon, but the overall status of the spacecraft remains unclear. The mission’s plans include studies of what lies beneath the lunar surface and a whole lot more