Moon mission ends with spacecraft on its side, unable to recharge batteries

For the second time in a week, a private spacecraft landed on the moon. But the vehicle, built by the company Intuitive Machines, ended up on its side about 250 meters from its target.

A privately built spacecraft from the company Intuitive Machines did not stick its landing on the moon Thursday, winding up on its side about 250 meters from its intended location.

It was the second time in less than a week that a private spacecraft has reached the lunar surface, but unlike the first landing — in which a robotic lander built by the company Firefly Aerospace touched down successfully — the outcome of Thursday's landing put an end to Intuitive Machines' mission.

The batteries that powered the lander, dubbed Athena, were depleted, the company said in a statement Friday: "With the direction of the sun, the orientation of the solar panels, and extreme cold temperatures in the crater, Intuitive Machines does not expect Athena to recharge. The mission has concluded."

The roughly dishwasher-size spacecraft was aiming for a plateau on a giant, flat-topped mountain called Mons Mouton, in the moon’s south polar region. Instead, Intuitive Machines said, it wound up inside a nearby crater.

Athena launched Feb. 26, with the goal of spending about a week on the moon looking for the possible presence of water ice below the surface. Scientists think water ice may be relatively abundant at the lunar south pole. Water is considered a critical resource for future crewed missions to the moon, particularly for potential long-term stays.