In a stunning revelation, the reasons behind the Athena lunar lander's unexpected topple on the Moon have finally emerged, shedding light on a mishap that left many in the space community astounded.

Operated by Houston-based Intuitive Machines, Athena crashed down on its side shortly after landing near the Moon's south pole on March 6. The incident led to a quick demise for the lander, as its solar panels couldn't capture enough sunlight in that precarious position.

What Went Wrong?

After extensive analysis, the Intuitive Machines team identified three critical factors that conspired to bring Athena down.

Firstly, the laser altimeter readings were distorted, hampering the lander’s ability to gauge its distance from the lunar surface accurately. Steve Altemus, CEO of Intuitive Machines, stated, "In the final phase of descent, we saw signal noise and distortion that did not allow for accurate altitude readings."

Secondly, the treacherous lighting conditions near the south pole created long shadows, complicating the landing process. Altemus explained the challenges posed by the low-angle sunlight, emphasizing how it disrupted their landing system's precision.

Lastly, Athena struggled to recognize craters in its landing area due to the inadequacy of the optical navigation system. The imagery sourced from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter simply couldn't account for how craters appeared under such unique lighting conditions.

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