March 9, 2025
Tech News
The White House is reportedly considering a ban on the Chinese artificial-intelligence company DeepSeek’s chatbot from government devices, amid rising national security concerns. This move, highlighted by the Wall Street Journal, reflects ongoing tensions regarding technological security.
In another development, Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander, Athena, has been declared non-operational just a day after its landing at the moon’s south pole. The lander tipped over, but the company successfully completed several program milestones before losing power.
This unfortunate event marks the second consecutive failure for Intuitive Machines after its previous spacecraft, Odysseus, also tipped upon landing last February. Despite this setback, the company is on a contract with NASA to develop a lunar communications system potentially worth $4.8 billion.
Fortunately, Athena managed to deploy critical experiments prior to its untimely end. This included a drill intended for the Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment, capable of penetrating three feet into the moon’s surface, showcasing some successful execution even amid the mission’s challenges.
Moreover, the specific conditions of Athena’s landing site—including the positioning of its solar panels and extreme cold temperatures—rendered it unable to recharge its batteries, leading to the mission’s conclusion, according to the company’s update.
Tech Explained
Artificial Intelligence – A branch of computer science that aims to create machines capable of performing tasks that typically require human intelligence, such as understanding natural language, visual perception, and decision-making.
Chatbot – A software application designed to simulate human conversation through voice commands or text chats, often employed for customer service and information inquiries on various platforms.
Lunar Lander – A spacecraft designed to land on the moon, equipped with technology to enable landing, exploration, and operation on the lunar surface, often facing significant engineering challenges due to the moon’s environment.
NASA – The National Aeronautics and Space Administration, an independent agency of the U.S. federal government responsible for the nation’s civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research.
Solar Panel – A device that converts sunlight directly into electricity through the photovoltaic effect, essential for providing power in remote locations such as the moon, particularly for spacecraft.
