Intuitive Machines said on Thursday that its robotic Athena lander has landed on the moon’s surface but details of the spacecraft’s status and health remained unclear, a tense moment in the company’s second such attempt. The six-legged Athena lander, carrying 11 payloads and scientific instruments, descended over a flat-topped mountain named Mons Mouton, about 100 miles (160 km) from the lunar south pole, and had aimed to have made a landing at around 12:32 p.m. ET.
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