Intuitive Machines lander capsized, but Lonestar tested its lunar data center

Intuitive Machines’ Athena lander was partially successful in landing on the moon. Although it failed to stay upright on the surface and crashed, one of its key customers, Lonestar Data Holdings, was able to complete most of its micro data center tests, Datacenter Dynamics reports. The crash prevented the Athena’s solar panels from being used to their full potential, so the power supply quickly dried up.

Still, Lonestar is largely satisfied with the experiment. The module with an 8-TB SSD and a Microchip PolaFire SoC FPGA was successfully tested on the way to the Moon and in lunar orbit. Moreover, as Datacenter Dynamics reports, citing a Lonestar representative, the computing module worked for some time on the surface of the Moon. The company was able to send data to and receive telemetry back before the equipment shut down. The company reports that all key tests were passed.

Image source: Lonestar

In a statement, Intuitive Machines said that given the position of the sun and solar panels, as well as the extremely cold temperatures in the crater, the company does not expect Athena to recharge and operate again. The mission is now complete, and teams of scientists are now evaluating the data they have collected. Lonestar, a space data center developer, had previously tested the possibility of storing data on the moon, but problems with the Odysseus lander prevented further experiments.

Of course, this is not the only space data center project. For example, a year ago, Lumen Orbit announced its intention to deploy numerous micro-data centers for AI in space, Axiom Space will build an orbital data center ODC T1 on its space station, and even the Italian military is interested in similar projects. Most recently, Lumen Orbit renamed itself Starcloud and attracted another $10 million for its orbital data centers – the test launch will be in the summer of 2025. The list of projects is far from exhaustive.