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IM-2's Imperfect Landing Due to Altimeter Interference
Posted: May 13, 2025 11:54 pm ET | Last Updated: May 13, 2025 11:59 pm ET | Intuitive Machines identifed three reasons why the IM-2 lunar lander fell on its side when it reached the Moon's South Pole in March 2025. They are confident the next mission, IM-3, will land upright.
Intuitive Machines’ second lunar lander, IM-2, landed on its side near the Moon’s South Pole because of altimeter interference and lighting conditions according to the company’s president and CEO. The South Pole has very rugged terrain and unique lighting conditions, but is of great interest to scientists and NASA because water is thought to exist in permanently shadowed regions there. Long shadows and low-angle sunlight “challenged the precision capability of our landing system” and imagery from NASA’s Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter (LRO) at 100 kilometers couldn’t accurately account for how craters appear at lower altitudes in those lighting conditions.
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