Intuitive Machines, the first private firm to land on the Moon, is set to attempt its second lunar touchdown on Thursday, aiming to land near the Moon's south pole at Mons Mouton.
The mission will include innovative payloads to support future human exploration.
The Houston-based company’s 15.6-foot Athena lander will deploy three rovers and a unique hopping drone named Grace. Grace’s mission includes a historic hop into a permanently shadowed crater, marking a first for humanity.
The lander will also test a 4G cellular network designed to integrate into astronaut spacesuits, and deploy a NASA instrument to search for ice beneath the lunar surface using a drill.
This mission follows Intuitive Machines' first successful landing in February 2024, which ended in the lander tipping over. The company aims to avoid a repeat of that outcome, particularly after Texas-based Firefly Aerospace's successful landing on Sunday.
Both missions are part of NASA’s $2.6-billion Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, supporting the Artemis mission to return astronauts to the Moon and beyond.
Athena launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and is scheduled for landing at 12:32 pm ET, with NASA providing a livestream. Despite challenges, including struggling to re-establish contact with NASA's Lunar Trailblazer probe, the mission remains a crucial step in advancing private lunar exploration.
Bd-pratidin English/FNC
