Private lunar lander touches down on the moon, but its status is unknown<img src='https://sb.scorecardresearch.com/p?c1=2&c2=6035286&cv=4.4.0&cj=1'>SubscribeSign inView Market DashboardHomeLatest NewsMarketsMarket NewsMark to MarketCommoditiesLive BlogsCryptocurrencyIPOStock MarketsMarket DataStock PagesIndex pagesBullionGold SilverFuelPetrolDieselNewsIndiaWorldWSJEconomistUS NewsTrendsPremium e-paperGlobal Partners WSJEconomistBarron'sMint SpecialsMint ExplainersMark to MarketLong StoryMint PrimerSnapviewSectionsCompaniesTechnologyMarketsMoneyMutual FundsInsuranceAutoIndustryPersonal FinanceCompaniesStart-upsCompany ResultsPeopleMoneyPersonal FinanceInsurance Ask Mint MoneyMutual FundsMyMintChampions Trophy 2025 LIVEPersonal LoanTechnologyGadgetsTech ReviewsApp News5G TechFoldable SmartphonesMint HindiMoreElection 2025OpinionAuto NewsSportsChampions Trophy Points TableChampions Trophy Most RunsChampions Trophy Most WicketsEducationTools IFSC Code FinderIncome Tax CalculatorMint LoungeMintGenie Multi-MediaVideosWebStories Photo GalleryPodcastsExplore MintAbout usPrint subscriptionMint AuthorsSubscriber terms of usePrivacy PolicyTerms of UseDisclaimerMint codeCookie PolicyCode of ethicsSitemapContact UsHindustan TimesLive HindustanHealthshotsCredit Card Hello UserSign inSign OutMy AccountSubscribeMy WatchlistNewslettersNotificationsMy ReadsFor YouView Less -View More +Data InsightsMarket DashboardBullionGoldSilverFuelPetrolDieselCommoditiesGoldGoldMAluminumMenthaoilSilverSilverMICGoldPetalNatural GasCopperZincSilverMCrudeOilGoldGinueaLeadCryptoCurrenciesView Less -View More +Top SectionsToday's NewsIndia NewsWorld NewsUS News TodayBudget 2025EconomyMoney NewsPersonal FinanceQ&AOpinionCompany Business NewsIPO NewsStart-upsCompany ResultsTop Company LeaderStock Market NewsStock MarketsCommodity NewsMark To MarketIPO NewsLive Blogpersonal loanpersonal loan emi calculatorPersonal Loan Interest RatePersonal Loan EligibilityBusiness LoanInstant LoanElection Results 2025Assembly Elections 2025Indian Industry AnalysisBanking NewsInfotech NewsInfrastructureAgricultureManufacturingEnergy NewsRetail NewsAuto NewsSports NewsOpinionViewsColumnsTechnology NewsGadgetsTech ReviewsApp NewsPolitics NewsLoungeBusiness of LifeSports NewsIPL 2025 IPL 2025 Points Table IPL 2025 Orange CapIPL 2025 Purple CapIPL Match Today | IPL 2025 ScheduleEducation News TodayView Less -View More +Premium Offeringse-paperWSJEconomistBarron'sMyMintMint PremiumView Less -View More +Tools and CalculatorsIFSC Code FinderIncome Tax CalculatorSIP CalculatorEMI CalculatorHome Loan EMI CalculatorCar Loan EMINPS CalculatorView Less -View More +MultiMedia CollectionsVideosWebStoriesPhoto GalleryPodcastsView Less -View More +More From MintMint GenieMint LoungeMint HindiView Less -Explore MintAbout UsPrint SubscriptionMint AuthorsTerms of UseDisclaimerMint CodeCode of ethicsCookie PolicyPrivacy PolicySubscriber - Terms of UseSITEMAPContact UsMint AppsView Less -View More +Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limited All Rights Reserved.Private lunar lander touches down on the moon, but its status is unknownPrivate lunar lander touches down on the moon, but its status is unknownAPPublished7 Mar 2025, 01:02 AM ISTPrivate lunar lander touches down on the moon, but its status is unknown CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A privately owned lunar lander touched down on the moon Thursday, but as the minutes dragged on, flight controllers could not confirm its condition or whether it was even upright near the south pole. The last time Intuitive Machines landed a spacecraft on the moon, a year ago, it ended up sideways. The company's newest Athena lander dropped out of lunar orbit as planned, carrying an ice drill, a drone and two rovers for NASA and others. The hourlong descent appeared to go well, but it took a while for Mission Control to confirm touchdown. “We're on the surface,” reported mission director and co-founder Tim Crain. A few minutes later, he repeated, "It looks like we're down ... We are working to evaluate exactly what our orientation is on the surface.” Launched last week, Athena was communicating with controllers more than 230,000 miles (375,000 kilometers) away and generating solar power, officials said. But nearly a half-hour after touchdown, Crain and his team still were unable to confirm if everything was all right with the 15-foot (4.7-meter) lander. NASA and Intuitive Machines abruptly ended their live webcast, promising more updates at a news conference later in the afternoon. “OK team, keep working the problem," Crain urged. Intuitive Machines last year put the U.S. back on the moon despite its lander tipping on its side. Last weekend, it was joined by another Texas company's lander. Firefly Aerospace on Sunday became the first to achieve complete success with its Blue Ghost lunar lander, on the northeastern edge of the near side of the moon. A vacuum already has collected lunar dirt for analysis and a dust shield has shaken off the abrasive particles that cling to everything. Intuitive Machines was aiming this time for a mountain plateau just 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the south pole, much closer than before. This week's back-to-back moon landings are part of NASA’s commercial lunar delivery program meant to get the space agency’s experiments to the gray, dusty surface and jumpstart business. The commercial landers are also seen as scouts for the astronauts who will follow later this decade under NASA's Artemis program, the successor to Apollo. NASA officials said before the landing that they knew going in that some of the low-cost missions would fail. But with more private missions to the moon, that increased the number of experiments getting there. NASA spent tens of millions of dollars on the ice drill and two other instruments riding on Athena, and paid an additional $62 million for the lift. Most of the experiments were from private companies, including the two rovers. The rocket-powered drone came from Intuitive Machines — it's meant to hop into a permanently shadowed crater near the landing site in search of frozen water. Intuitive Machines' Trent Martin said before the flight that Athena needed to land upright in order for the drone and rovers to deploy. To lower costs even more, Intuitive Machines shared its SpaceX rocket launch with three spacecraft that went their separate ways. Two of them — NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer and AstroForge’s asteroid-chasing Odin — are in jeopardy. NASA said this week that Lunar Trailblazer is spinning without radio contact and won’t reach its intended orbit around the moon for science observations. Odin is also silent, with its planned asteroid flyby unlikely. As for Athena, Intuitive Machines made dozens of repairs and upgrades following the company’s sideways touchdown by its first lander. It still managed to operate briefly, ending America’s moon-landing drought of more than 50 years. Until then, the U.S. had not landed on the moon since Apollo 17 in 1972. No one else has sent astronauts to the moon, the overriding goal of NASA’s Artemis program. And only four other countries have successfully landed robotic spacecraft on the moon: Russia, China, India and Japan. ___ The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AP is solely responsible for all content. Catch all the Business News, Market News, Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.Business NewsScienceNewsPrivate lunar lander touches down on the moon, but its status is unknownMoreLessFirst Published:7 Mar 2025, 01:02 AM ISTGet Instant Loan up to ₹10 Lakh!Enter Mobile NumberEmployment TypeSalariedSelf-Employed BusinessApply NowMost Active StocksMarket SnapshotTop GainersTop Losers52 Week HighTrending In Market IRFC share priceJio Financial share price Multibagger SME stock Tata group stocksSME IT stockIPO News Today Live Recommended For YouMore RecommendationsGold Prices24K22KFuel PricePetrolDieselPopular in ScienceStory Url has been added to your clipboardDownload AppDownload the Mint app and read premium storiesTrending StoriesIndian stock market SA VS NZ LIVE Score Kedarnath MCX gold rate RBI Ramadan 2025 Paan masala banned ICC Champions Trophy 2025 ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Points Table ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Schedule ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Most Runs ICC Champions Trophy 2025 Most Wickets Livemint Hindi Bank Holidays in Gujarat Bank Holidays in Delhi Bank Holidays in September Income Tax Calculator 2025 Bank Holidays in Jammu And Kashmir Instant Personal Loan Check Credit Score Online Business Loan Personal Loan Interest Rate Personal Loan Eligibility Personal Loan EMI Calculator Gold Rate in Delhi Gold Rate in Bangalore Gold Rate in Chennai Gold Rate in Hyderabad Gold Rate in Mumbai Business Radio - FAB Play Assembly Election Results Credit Card Personal Loan Online Gold Rate India Bank Holidays India Stocks to Buy Today Recommended Stocks to Watch Popular StocksJSW INFRASTRUCTURE share priceR R KABEL share priceCONCORD BIOTECH share priceIDBI Bank share priceYes Bank share priceAdani Power share priceHUL share priceIndian Oil share priceVedanta share priceJio Financial Services share pricePaytm share pricePunjab National Bank share priceCanara Bank share priceAdani Green Energy share priceIndian Railway Finance Corporation share priceSuzlon Energy share priceIREDA share priceVodafone Idea share priceOrient Technologies share pricePremier Energies share priceBajaj Housing Finance Share PriceGaruda Construction And Engineer share priceHyundai Motor India share priceNifty 50 companiesADANI ENTERPRISES share priceADANI PORTS share priceAPOLLO HOSPITALS share priceASIAN PAINTS share priceAXIS BANK share priceBAJAJ AUTO share priceBAJAJ FINANCE share priceBAJAJ FINSERVE share priceBPCL share priceBHARTI AIRTEL share priceBRITANNIA share priceCIPLA share priceCOAL INDIA share priceDIVIS LABORATORIES share priceDR REDDYS LABORATORIES share priceEICHER MOTORS share priceGRASIM INDUSTRIES share priceHCL TECHNOLOGIES share priceHDFC BANK share priceHDFC LIFE share priceHERO MOTOCORP share priceHINDALCO INDUSTRIES share priceHINDUSTAN UNILEVER share priceICICI BANK share priceITC share priceINDUSIND BANK share priceINFOSYS share priceJSW STEEL share priceKOTAK BANK share priceLARSEN & TOURBO share priceMAHINDRA & MAHINDRA share priceMARUTI SUZUKI share priceNTPC share priceNESTLE INDIA share priceONGC share pricePOWER GRID share priceRELIANCE INDUSTRIES share priceSBI LIFE share priceSBI share priceSUN PHARMA share priceTCS share priceTATA MOTORS share priceTATA STEEL share priceTATA CONSUMER share priceTECH MAHINDRA share priceTITAN share priceUPL share priceULTRATECH CEMENT share priceWIPRO share priceLatest StoriesSectionPremiumOpinionNewsMarketPoliticsCompaniesMoneySportsMutual FundIndustryTechnologyToolsIFSC Code FinderIncome Tax CalculatorSIP CalculatorHome Loan EMI CalculatorCar Loan EMINPS CalculatorData PagesMarket DashboardIndicesTop GainerMutual FundsGold PriceSilver PriceFuel PriceAbout UsMint AuthorsContact usTerms of UseCode of EthicsPrivacy PolicyRSSCopyright © 2025 HT Digital Streams Limited. 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