LOS ANGELES, March 7 (Xinhua) -- The mission of U.S. company Intuitive Machines' lunar lander Athena has come to an early end because the lander tipped over while touching down on the Moon, and its battery quickly drained, the company said on Friday.

The uncrewed lander landed at a region near the Moon's South Pole at about 12:30 p.m. Eastern Time (1730 GMT) Thursday, according to NASA.

Athena landed 250 meters from its intended landing site in the Mons Mouton region of the lunar south pole, inside of a crater. This was the southernmost lunar landing and surface operations ever achieved, according to Intuitive Machines.

Images downlinked from Athena on the lunar surface confirmed that Athena was on her side. After landing, mission controllers were able to accelerate several program and payload milestones, including NASA's PRIME-1 suite, before the lander's batteries depleted, said the company.

With the direction of the sun, the orientation of the solar panels, and extreme cold temperatures in the crater, Athena was not able to recharge, according to Intuitive Machines.

The company said the mission has concluded and teams are continuing to assess the data collected throughout the mission.

The southern pole region on Moon where Athena landed is lit by harsh sun angles and limited direct communication with the Earth. This area has been avoided due to its rugged terrain. Intuitive Machines said it believes the insights and achievements from Athena's mission will open this region for further space exploration.

Intuitive Machines is one of the leading service providers in NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, part of the agency's lunar exploration efforts.

Under the initiative, NASA is working with multiple American companies to send NASA science investigations and technology demonstrations to the Moon.

Last year, Intuitive Machines made history when its first lunar lander, Odysseus, made a soft touchdown on the lunar surface. It marked the first American spacecraft to land on the lunar surface in more than 50 years.

However, Odysseus also tripped over its own feet during its final descent on the Moon, and its mission ended earlier than expected. Enditem

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