Lunar Lander Trips and Dies Inside South Pole Crater
Houston-based space company Intuitive Machines' Athena lunar lander isn't doing so hot.
The lander made its attempt at a landing near the Moon's Mons Mouton, a flat-topped mountain roughly 100 miles from the south pole, around noon on Thursday.
But things didn't quite go as planned. The lander touched down sideways within a crater near the Moon's south pole, causing it to tip over. The company's predecessor, Odyssey, suffered a strikingly similar fate last year.
"We don't believe we're in the correct attitude on the surface of the Moon yet again," Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus announced during a Thursday press conference.
An image released by the company today shows the toppled spacecraft with a half-lit Earth glinting in the background.
It's a bittersweet resting place for what could've been the second successful landing on the Moon in less than three days.
https://twitter.com/Int_Machines/status/1898018154380427501
And as far as Intuitive Machines is concerned, it's officially game over. As the Associated Press reports, the company didn't waste any time, declaring Athena's death less than 24 hours after it touched down.
According to telemetry beamed back by the spacecraft, the lander missed its intended landing spot roughly 100 miles from the Moon's south pole by more than 800 feet. That's in part due to it autonomously trying to avoid hazards on the cratered surface.
Fortunately, the team was able to activate several scientific experiments before shutting down Athena's systems for good, per the AP.
But thanks to its extremely unfortunate orientation, it's unlikely that it'll be able to get enough solar energy to power its instruments, which include a drill, a drone, and three rovers.
"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 team declared in an update.
While Athena has already been written off, Texas-based startup Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander fared much better. It successfully touched down on the lunar surface on Sunday, and sent back imagery showing its surroundings, the Mare Crisium, a massive basin on the Moon's near side.
"With the hardest part behind us, Firefly looks forward to completing more than 14 days of surface operations, again raising the bar for commercial cislunar capabilities," said Firefly CTO Shea Ferring in a statement.
Meanwhile, Intuitive Machines is dealing with some serious fallout following its second failed landing in just two years.
As the New York Times reports, the company's shares fell 20 percent on Thursday. The stock price is down over 50 percent over the last month.
Nonetheless, Altemus sees the situation as a glass half full.
"Any time that you ship a spacecraft to Florida for flight and end up a week later operating on the Moon, I declare that a success," he said during a post-landing news conference.
It's an unfortunate development for NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which contracts private companies to develop more affordable ways to deliver scientific payloads to the Moon's surface.
As the NYT points out, there have been four missions under the program so far, and only one appears to have been a success.
Those four missions include both of Intuitive Machines' failed attempts, as well as Firefly's successful touchdown.
The fourth, Astrobotic's Peregrine spacecraft, suffered a failure during launch early last year, causing it to lose its propellant drift helplessly through space. Astrobotic eventually decided to have it burn up in the Earth's atmosphere instead of venturing onward.
More on the lander: There's Some Serious Drama on the Moon
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Business Upturn
an hour ago
- Business Upturn
What Is a Growth Agency – And Why Are More Aussie Businesses Using One?
Running a business in Australia right now takes grit. Margins are tight, attention is harder to earn, and competition isn't just local anymore — it's global. So, it's no surprise that more entrepreneurs are turning to something called a growth agency to help them scale. But what exactly is a growth agency? And how is it different from your typical digital marketing firm? Let's break it down. Growth Agency 101: More Than Just Marketing A growth agency is a team that focuses on one thing: helping your business grow sustainably and profitably. They go beyond just running ads or building websites. Instead, they take a strategic, whole-business view — connecting marketing, sales, data, and customer experience to drive real growth. It's like having a part-time growth strategist, digital marketer, and revenue coach all in one. Where traditional marketing agencies might focus on one channel (say, social media or SEO), a growth agency looks at your whole funnel — from awareness right through to retention — and helps you improve each stage. In short, they're not trying to win awards. They're trying to help you win more customers. Why Now? Why Australia? There has been a shift in how Australian businesses approach marketing. Many owners are asking: 'How can I make my dollars work harder?' Growth agencies answer that question by focusing on: Data over guesswork – every decision is tracked and tested Clear ROI – efforts are tied to business goals, not vanity metrics Smarter strategy – aligning marketing with the actual customer journey With rising costs, staffing shortages, and rapidly changing consumer expectations, business owners need brighter, not louder, marketing. That's where the growth agency model shines. How It Works in Practice Let's say you run a boutique furniture brand. You've got a loyal customer base and excellent products, but sales have plateaued. A growth agency would start by looking at your entire sales funnel: Are you attracting the right kind of traffic Are people dropping off at checkout? Is your average order value too low? Are you getting enough repeat customers? They'd then test ways to improve your funnel — perhaps through landing page tweaks, better email automation, sharper ad targeting, or a revamped loyalty offer. But it's always rooted in data, not guesswork. This isn't about gimmicks. It's about fine-tuning every lever in your business engine. A Real-World Example A good example of this in practice is REMAP ONLINE, a leading Australian growth agency that's helped dozens of small businesses scale using this kind of data-first strategy. Take 'Tilly & Co.' — a (fictionalised) Melbourne-based homewares business. After a few strong years of organic growth, they hit a ceiling. Ads were getting more expensive, and word-of-mouth wasn't enough. Working with a growth agency, they: Identified a bottleneck in their mobile checkout process Created a new lead magnet to build their email list Tested upsell offers that increased average order value by 22% Set up automated win-back emails that brought in dormant customers Within six months, revenue had grown 38% — without increasing ad spend. That's the power of a focused, data-driven strategy. How Growth Agencies Measure Success A big part of the appeal is accountability. Growth agencies live and die by results — and they track everything: Customer acquisition cost (CAC) Customer lifetime value (CLV Conversion rates at every stage Revenue growth, not just clicks or impressions Because their role spans marketing and sales, you get a clearer picture of what's working and what's not, without the finger-pointing that sometimes happens between different service providers. Is It Just for Startups? Not at all. While many startups love the model because it's lean and agile, growth agencies are increasingly working with established small and medium businesses, especially those ready to scale or enter new markets. They're also a smart option for businesses that don't have a whole in-house marketing team but still want strategic oversight without committing to multiple hires. Think of it like having a senior growth partner without the overhead. Final Thought Marketing isn't broken — but for many businesses, the old model of siloed services just isn't cutting it anymore. If you're feeling like your business has stalled, or you're spending more and seeing less in return, it might be time to explore a different approach. A growth agency isn't about doing more. It's about doing what works — and doing it better. One strategy, one team, and one clear goal: helping you grow. By Remap Online – Australia's leading growth agency helping SMEs scale through strategy, digital, and conversion optimisation.
Business Upturn
an hour ago
- Business Upturn
Minda Corporation forms joint venture with Toyodenso to manufacture advanced automotive switches in India
Minda Corporation has entered into a strategic joint venture with Japan-based Toyodenso to provide end-to-end solutions for the Indian automotive switch market. The partnership will cover design, development, manufacturing, and marketing of advanced automotive switches for two-wheelers, passenger vehicles, and other automotive segments. Minda Corporation will hold a 60% majority stake in the joint venture, while Toyodenso will hold the remaining 40%. The venture has already secured orders from Indian customers and plans to set up a greenfield manufacturing facility in Noida, Uttar Pradesh. Operations at the plant are expected to begin in the second half of FY 2026–27. This collaboration aligns with Minda Corporation's strategy to localize new technologies and expand its synergistic product portfolio. Toyodenso will contribute cutting-edge engineering and technology, while Minda Corporation will leverage its strength in localized manufacturing and supply chain management. The partnership is poised to meet the growing demand for technologically advanced switches in the Indian automotive sector. Ashok Minda, Chairman & Group CEO, Minda Corporation Limited, commented, 'We are very excited and privileged to partner with Toyodenso, a Global Japanese company with rich legacy of technological innovation. This partnership marks a pivotal milestone in our journey to drive smart mobility solutions while fostering indigenous manufacturing by integrating globally recognized technologies into India's automotive ecosystem.' Aman Shukla is a post-graduate in mass communication . A media enthusiast who has a strong hold on communication ,content writing and copy writing. Aman is currently working as journalist at
Medscape
an hour ago
- Medscape
Mailed Kits Beat Office Visits for Cervical Cancer Screening
Mailed self-collection kits and a telephone reminder helped increase cervical cancer screening (CCS) rates more than twice as much as telephone reminders for an office visit, according to new data from a randomized clinical trial in a safety-net population. The home kits paired with additional patient contact increased numbers even further. In a trial that included 2474 people overdue for CCS (94% of them from minority populations), participants randomized to a telephone reminder with a mailed self-collection kit had 41.1% participation compared to those with a phone reminder to come in for an office visit (17.4%). CCS rates were modestly higher (46.6%) when people received contact in addition to the telephone reminder and mailed self-collection kit for testing human papillomavirus (HPV). Self-collection with additional patient contact was designed to be different from self-collection with a telephone reminder in terms of the dose of patient interactions rather than content, minimizing potential contamination across the self-collection with telephone reminder and self-collection with additional patient contact groups. The study, led by Jane R. Montealegre, PhD, with the Department of Behavioral Science, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, was conducted from February 20, 2020, to August 31, 2023, and published in JAMA Internal Medicine . Cervical Cancer Could be Eliminated in the US in 10-20 Years Estimates show that cervical cancer in the US could see national-level elimination in the next one to two decades if CCS rates hit 90%. However up-to-date screening has declined in recent years and was 75.2% in 2021, with rates notably lower among underserved populations, including women and people with a cervix who are uninsured or publicly insured, live in rural areas, and are from minority populations. The study researchers noted that the results in this trial, the PRESTIS trial, are consistent with the relative participation rates of previous trials. In a recent meta-analysis of 28 trials, Stefanie Costa and colleagues reported a 2.5-fold higher participation in screening with mailed self-collection vs usual care. 'Notably distinct from previous trials are the large screening proportions attained in the [self-collection (SC) group] (41.1%) and SC with patient navigation (46.6%) groups, as compared to the global estimate of 24% reported in the meta-analysis,' the authors wrote. In an accompanying editorial, Eve Rittenberg, MD, MA, with the Division of Women's Health, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston, and colleagues wrote that home self-collection 'has the potential to meaningfully reduce cervical cancer burden, especially among underserved populations.' They pointed out that self-collection has previously been studied in a clinical setting, where women can collect a sample privately without undergoing an invasive Pap smear and that 'self-collected HPV samples have similar specificity and sensitivity to clinician-collected samples.' But it hasn't been known whether the tests need to be performed in a clinic. Home Screening May Further Eliminate Barriers Montealegre's team shows that 'home self-collection demonstrates that people can adequately obtain usable samples in the privacy of their homes, as only 6% of samples were deemed inadequate for evaluation,' the editorialists wrote. Home-based screening, they explained, may further eliminate screening barriers for underserved populations with lower costs and fewer logistical hurdles. Additionally, screening via pelvic exam can be uncomfortable and may be culturally unacceptable for some. Pelvic exam-based screening may be particularly distressing to those who have experienced sexual trauma, they wrote. They pointed out that options for CCS are growing with the approval last month by the FDA of a home HPV self-collection kit, which will be available for clinical use within months. Self-collection of HPV samples is included in the World Health Organization's global strategy to eliminate cervical cancer by 2030, and the draft US Preventive Services Task Force CCS guidance now includes self-collection as an option. Future research should help determine whether more home self-collected HPV screening leads to higher rates of treating precancerous lesions and eventually lower cervical cancer rates, the editorialists wrote. They also noted that efforts to increase CCS rates should be accompanied by efforts to increase HPV vaccination rates. The research was funded through grants from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and the National Cancer Institute through an MD Anderson Cancer Center Support Grant, the Dan L Duncan Comprehensive Cancer Center Support Grant, and the Hollings Cancer Center Support Grant. The authors reported having no relevant financial relationships. An editorialist, Cary Gross, MD, reported receiving grants from Johnson & Johnson and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (with funding provided by AstraZeneca) outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported.
