Lunar lander mission likely compromised
ABCAndy Park: A privately owned lunar lander has touched down near the moon's South Pole, but there's still no confirmation it's up the right way. Honorary Professor Fred Watson: They sent a spacecraft to the moon last year that essentially did not land upright. Oliver Gordon: The Athena lunar lander has made it to an area close to the south pole of the moon, a place Professor Watson says is the focus of much research attention at the moment. Honorary Professor Fred Watson: But the leap from that to even putting tourists on something like the International Space Station, which is in orbit around the Earth, it's a much bigger deal. Honorary Professor Fred Watson: Maybe just a single orbit, a figure of eight trajectory like we had with Apollo 8 back in the day, or going into orbit rather than just one swing around the moon.
History of this topic
US-made lander reaches Moon intact, ending series of failures
Live Mint
Private US spacecraft enters orbit around the moon ahead of landing attempt
The IndependentDiscover Related