Private spacecraft Athena has successfully landed close to the Moon's south pole.

The Athena spacecraft from Intuitive Machines is able to communicate with Earth even after landing in an unusual position.

A private U.S. aerospace firm has announced the successful landing of its spacecraft, Athena, close to the Moon's South Pole.

However, there are concerns that the spacecraft might not be upright.

Intuitive Machines, the company behind Athena, stated that the spacecraft remains in communication with Earth, despite not being in the 'correct attitude.'

The mission's primary objective is to deploy scientific instruments, including a hopping robot called the Micro Nova Hopper, designed to investigate a nearby permanently shadowed crater, as well as the first lunar mobile communications antenna.

This marks the second time an Intuitive Machines spacecraft has landed at an unusual angle on the Moon.

Athena touched down shortly after 1730 GMT (1230 EST) at a location roughly 100 miles (160 km) from the South Pole in the lunar highlands area known as Mons Mouton.

In the coming days, a lunar reconnaissance orbiter will take images of Athena to determine its exact position.

Athena has a 10-day period to conduct observations and measurements.

The onboard Micro Nova Hopper, also named Grace, is designed to leap as high as 100 meters and travel up to 1.2 miles (2 kilometers) across the lunar surface.

After five jumps, it is planned to land within the crater to capture images of its interior.

The crater, which is always in shadow, is known for its low temperatures and is considered a prime site for investigating the presence of water ice.

Intuitive Machines designed the hopping mechanism to access areas that are unreachable for wheeled robots, thereby enhancing lunar terrain exploration.

Lunar scientists support this design as a viable solution for navigating the challenging conditions of the lunar environment.

The IM-2 mission is also outfitted with three scientific instruments created by NASA, including a drill named Trident, which will penetrate the lunar surface in search of ice evidence.

Moreover, a mass spectrometer will assess any gases released during the drilling process.

A communications antenna, developed with Nokia, will employ 4G cellular technology to establish a connection on the Moon.

This mission aligns with NASA's broader objectives to return humans to the Moon, with an astronaut launch targeted for 2027 under the Artemis program.

Experts consider the lunar South Pole a potential site for future human bases, where water and other resources could facilitate long-term habitation and exploration.

The feasibility of creating human settlements on the Moon is particularly intriguing, given the ongoing efforts to locate water ice reserves that could serve as drinking water and for other uses.

As planning for future missions advances, understanding the location and amount of these resources is crucial.

NASA has collaborated with various private companies to streamline the transportation of spacecraft and instruments to the lunar surface, offering a more cost-effective approach compared to developing and launching missions independently.

In February of the previous year, the company successfully landed another spacecraft, Odysseus, on the Moon.

However, that landing led to the craft tipping over, hindering the achievement of its scientific objectives.

Globally, space agencies are competing to establish a human presence on the Moon, strategically targeting opportunities to leverage lunar resources and advance scientific investigations into planetary systems.

In the United States, the Moon is seen as a stepping stone toward the ambitious goal of human settlement on Mars.

The IM-2 mission could help enhance understanding of broader planetary science questions, particularly concerning the presence of ice in the inner solar system and its historical delivery to the Earth-Moon system.