Latest news with #MobileAutonomousProspectingPlatform
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Robot Survived Failed Lunar Landing But Was Trapped Inside and Died Afterward
It is with heavy hearts we report that an intrepid little robot that made it all the way to the Moon has met a horrible end. On Thursday, Intuitive Machine's lunar lander Athena touched down in a crater near the Moon's south pole — sideways. That caused it to tip over, and unable to collect solar energy in its awkward position, the NASA-sponsored spacecraft was declared dead less than 24 hours after arriving. The fate was even more tragic for a robot, dubbed the Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP), that hitched a ride inside the lander. The little, barely one-and-a-half foot long rover, built by Colorado-based startup Lunar Outpost, survived the trip in one piece and was even ready to roam the rocky satellite's craggy surface. But in a cruel twist, Athena's sideways landing blocked MAPP's only exit, and trapped inside, it eventually met a slow death. "Intuitive Machines landing on its side prevented MAPP's deployment," Lunar Outpost said in a statement on X. "Our data paints a clear picture that MAPP survived the landing attempt and would have driven on the lunar surface and achieved our mission objectives had it been given the opportunity." Nonetheless, the robot did bravely manage to send some data back to Earth proving that it was still deployable. MAPP also did enough to demonstrate that some of its scientific capabilities work in space, the company said. Had MAPP been able to break free — or if Athena had stuck its landing — it would have been the first US robotic rover deployed on the surface of the Moon — not to mention the first private rover to roam extraterrestrial soil. Its bevy of systems included a device to connect to an experimental 4G network built by Nokia that would have been broadcast from the Athena lander. MAPP was also equipped to collect a sample of lunar regolith — the Moon's loose surface soil — that the company planned to sell to NASA for $1. This gesture would've marked the first commercially collected regolith sample, setting the legal and financial precedent for space resource utilization in the future, Lunar Outpost said in a press release. Those ambitions, at least for the time-being, were resoundingly squashed when the Athena missed its intended landing spot, a flat-topped mountain called Mons Mouton roughly 100 miles from the lunar south pole. With it unceremoniously tipped on its side, what was originally intended to be a ten-day mission for the lander barely lasted one. Still, this won't be the last we'll hear from either company. Intuitive Machines has two more Moon missions scheduled with NASA for 2026 and 2027, while Lunar Outpost says it's planning additional expeditions, including a return to the south pole and a visit to a curious lunar landscape feature called Reiner Gamma. More on lunar happenings: Amazing Video Shows Spacecraft Touching Down on Surface of Moon
Yahoo
11-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Private mini rover aboard sideways Athena moon lander was ready to roll — but it couldn't get out
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Intuitive Machines' Athena mission is already over, but silver linings have emerged from the short-lived lunar south pole landing effort. Athena beamed back images from the surface of the moon despite landing sideways on March 6. This unhelpful orientation meant, however, that the lander could not generate power due to the position of its solar arrays and saw the mission end just a day after touchdown. Further updates have revealed that another private spacecraft aboard the lander, the tiny Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover, was able to return useful data before the lack of power ended the mission. "Our Lunar Voyage 1 MAPP rover successfully made it to the moon, collected data from the lunar surface and in transit, and proved MAPP was ready to drive," U.S. space exploration company Lunar Outpost announced in a statement. Related: Private Intuitive Machines moon lander declared dead after falling on its side in crater at the lunar south pole The four-wheeled vehicle survived the landing and was ready to roll but for the orientation of the Athena lander, which prevented its deployment, according to the company. "Intuitive Machines landing on its side prevented MAPP's deployment," Lunar Outpost's statement read. "Our data paints a clear picture that MAPP survived the landing attempt and would have driven on the lunar surface and achieved our mission objectives had it been given the opportunity." The 1.5 foot-long (45 centimeters) rover carried a range of payloads. It planned to test Nokia's LTE/4G communications system for the moon and collect a small amount of lunar regolith to be sold to NASA for a sum of $1, with the symbolic transaction intended to set a legal precedent for space resource utilization. Related stories: — SpaceX's Starship will fly Lunar Outpost's rover to the moon — The moon: Everything you need to know about Earth's companion — There's lots of water on the moon for astronauts. But is it safe to drink? None of these goals can be realized following the suboptimal landing, but data returned from MAPP's time in transit to the moon, in lunar orbit and on the surface validated a range of systems and components that will be useful for Lunar Orbit's upcoming missions. "We look forward to our upcoming missions — including exploring [lunar region] Reiner Gamma (Lunar Voyage 2), heading back to the south pole of the moon (Lunar Voyage 3), and having the first Australian rover mission to the moon (Lunar Voyage 4)," Lunar Outpost stated. "With our capabilities clearly demonstrated in space, we look forward to further showcasing what our mobility systems can achieve." Intuitive Machines' third mission is currently scheduled to launch as soon as late this year and will carry Lunar Outpost's Lunar Voyage 2 rover. Lunar Outpost is also competing for a NASA contract to build an unpressurized rover for a lunar test mission ahead of NASA's Artemis 5 mission, currently scheduled for 2030.
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
First private US robotic lunar rover lands successfully on the moon
A small but rugged robotic moon rover developed by a Colorado company became the first commercial exploration vehicle to touch down on the lunar surface on Thursday. Mission managers were unable to immediately confirm that the landing of the spacecraft it was traveling in had been fully successful. The Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (Mapp) built by Lunar Outpost, a space technology start-up with about 200 employees, landed near the moon's south pole at 12.31pmET on Thursday after an eight-day journey from Earth. It was carried aboard the Athena lander launched by Texas-based Intuitive Machines (IM), which itself became the first private company to make a successful moon touchdown in February 2024. On that occasion the IM spacecraft Odysseus toppled over at landing, forcing a premature end to its mission. Mission director Tim Crain, senior vice-president of IM, confirmed on Thursday that Athena had landed, and was sending signals to Earth. But he said early information suggested not everything was working as expected. A livestream of the landing event ended with no confirmation of the spacecraft's status, and Crain said engineers at IM's Houston headquarters were analyzing data and expected to give a full update at an afternoon press conference scheduled for 4pm ET. 'Team, keep working the problem,' Crain told engineers at mission control. 'We are working to evaluate exactly what our orientation is on the surface.' Despite the uncertainty of its initial condition, Athena's arrival was the second private moon landing in four days after Sunday's spectacular arrival of Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost. If Mapp is confirmed to have arrived intact, the tiny rover will take an outsized role on the path to the first human lunar landing in more than half a century. Barely 1.5ft (45cm) in length, the fully autonomous, four-wheel drive vehicle is the first US-built rover to land there since Nasa's lunar roving vehicle (LRV), used during the space agency's final three crewed Apollo missions before the program ended in 1972. During a 14-day surface exploration, Mapp is programmed to examine previously inaccessible areas of the moon close to its landing site near Mons Mouton, in the lunar south pole region where astronauts from Nasa's Artemis 3 are scheduled to arrive in mid-2027. Among the objectives are pioneering developments in lunar communications and navigation systems that will help Artemis mission managers better prepare for the first human lunar landing since Apollo 17 in December 1972. Firsts for the mission, also known as Lunar Voyage 1, include the first cellphone call from the moon using onboard antennas supplied by Nokia, and the 'sale' to Nasa for a symbolic $1 of a small sample of rocky lunar regolith. The transaction, which will mark the first time a section of a planetary body has changed hands for money, is intended to set an important legal precedent for future space commerce, according to Justin Cyrus, chief executive of Lunar Outpost. 'Lunar Voyage 1 is not just about exploration, it's about proving that private industry can operate, sustain, and create economic value on the moon,' he said ahead of the mission's 26 February launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. 'These historic accomplishments create real-world lunar infrastructure, resource utilization and planetary mobility, essential steps toward a lasting human presence beyond Earth.' Mapp is solar powered, with a lifespan of a single lunar day, or 14 Earth days. Among its packed payload is AstroAnt, a tiny, robotic device developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that will take temperature readings from Mapp's roof, and which is designed to eventually assist in diagnostic and repair tasks for spacecraft during lunar missions. A second small lunar rover, built by the Japanese company Dymon, is also aboard; as well as non-scientific contents, including a list of names from the Italian soccer club Juventus. A successful landing of Athena, meanwhile, would represent redemption for Intuitive Machines, whose celebration following the 2024 landing of its Odysseus spacecraft was quickly dampened when it became apparent it had toppled over at touchdown, forcing a premature halt to its mission after just five days. Intuitive Machine and Lunar Outpost were among the recipients of Nasa 'seed money' announced last year for private companies to develop mobility solutions for astronauts on Artemis missions. Overall, however, Nasa's moon missions face an uncertain future with speculation that its own Space Launch System rocket program could be canceled in favor of heavy lift Starship rockets developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX company; and the reported laying off of 10% of the space agency's workforce through Trump administration cuts ordered by Musk's department of government efficiency (Doge).
The Guardian
06-03-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
First private US robotic lunar rover lands successfully on the moon
A small but rugged robotic moon rover developed by a Colorado company became the first commercial exploration vehicle to touch down on the lunar surface on Thursday. Mission managers were unable to immediately confirm that the landing of the spacecraft it was traveling in had been fully successful. The Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (Mapp) built by Lunar Outpost, a space technology start-up with about 200 employees, landed near the moon's south pole at 12.31pmET on Thursday after an eight-day journey from Earth. It was carried aboard the Athena lander launched by Texas-based Intuitive Machines (IM), which itself became the first private company to make a successful moon touchdown in February 2024. On that occasion the IM spacecraft Odysseus toppled over at landing, forcing a premature end to its mission. Mission director Tim Crain, senior vice-president of IM, confirmed on Thursday that Athena had landed, and was sending signals to Earth. But he said early information suggested not everything was working as expected. A livestream of the landing event ended with no confirmation of the spacecraft's status, and Crain said engineers at IM's Houston headquarters were analyzing data and expected to give a full update at an afternoon press conference scheduled for 4pm ET. 'Team, keep working the problem,' Crain told engineers at mission control. 'We are working to evaluate exactly what our orientation is on the surface.' Despite the uncertainty of its initial condition, Athena's arrival was the second private moon landing in four days after Sunday's spectacular arrival of Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost. If Mapp is confirmed to have arrived intact, the tiny rover will take an outsized role on the path to the first human lunar landing in more than half a century. Barely 1.5ft (45cm) in length, the fully autonomous, four-wheel drive vehicle is the first US-built rover to land there since Nasa's lunar roving vehicle (LRV), used during the space agency's final three crewed Apollo missions before the program ended in 1972. During a 14-day surface exploration, Mapp is programmed to examine previously inaccessible areas of the moon close to its landing site near Mons Mouton, in the lunar south pole region where astronauts from Nasa's Artemis 3 are scheduled to arrive in mid-2027. Among the objectives are pioneering developments in lunar communications and navigation systems that will help Artemis mission managers better prepare for the first human lunar landing since Apollo 17 in December 1972. Firsts for the mission, also known as Lunar Voyage 1, include the first cellphone call from the moon using onboard antennas supplied by Nokia, and the 'sale' to Nasa for a symbolic $1 of a small sample of rocky lunar regolith. The transaction, which will mark the first time a section of a planetary body has changed hands for money, is intended to set an important legal precedent for future space commerce, according to Justin Cyrus, chief executive of Lunar Outpost. 'Lunar Voyage 1 is not just about exploration, it's about proving that private industry can operate, sustain, and create economic value on the moon,' he said ahead of the mission's 26 February launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida. 'These historic accomplishments create real-world lunar infrastructure, resource utilization and planetary mobility, essential steps toward a lasting human presence beyond Earth.' Mapp is solar powered, with a lifespan of a single lunar day, or 14 Earth days. Among its packed payload is AstroAnt, a tiny, robotic device developed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) that will take temperature readings from Mapp's roof, and which is designed to eventually assist in diagnostic and repair tasks for spacecraft during lunar missions. A second small lunar rover, built by the Japanese company Dymon, is also aboard; as well as non-scientific contents, including a list of names from the Italian soccer club Juventus. A successful landing of Athena, meanwhile, would represent redemption for Intuitive Machines, whose celebration following the 2024 landing of its Odysseus spacecraft was quickly dampened when it became apparent it had toppled over at touchdown, forcing a premature halt to its mission after just five days. Intuitive Machine and Lunar Outpost were among the recipients of Nasa 'seed money' announced last year for private companies to develop mobility solutions for astronauts on Artemis missions. Overall, however, Nasa's moon missions face an uncertain future with speculation that its own Space Launch System rocket program could be canceled in favor of heavy lift Starship rockets developed by Elon Musk's SpaceX company; and the reported laying off of 10% of the space agency's workforce through Trump administration cuts ordered by Musk's department of government efficiency (Doge).
