Intuitive Machines, a Houston-based company, has launched a second lunar lander, named Athena, on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. After some initial suspense, the spacecraft is on its way to the moon, where it will attempt to land closer to the south pole than any previous spacecraft. The main payload on Athena is a drill for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, designed to search for compounds like frozen water just below the moon’s surface.
In addition to the drill, Athena is carrying three robotic rovers and a flying “hopper” to explore the lunar surface. One rover, MAPP, is part of a test of the first cellphone network on the moon. Another rover, Yaoki, built by a Japanese company, and a tiny rover called AstroAnt, built by MIT, are also on board. The hopper will provide a new way to explore long distances on the moon using thrusters.
The Odysseus lander, Intuitive Machines’ previous lunar mission, toppled over upon landing due to a software oversight, but the company has made improvements for Athena. The mission also includes two other spacecraft riding on the Falcon 9 rocket: Lunar Trailblazer, a NASA mission to measure water on the moon, and Odin, which will head to a near-Earth asteroid.
The mission is scheduled to last approximately 10 Earth days, ending when an eclipse plunges the lunar surface into darkness. Athena is the third commercial lander headed to the moon this year, following Blue Ghost from Firefly Aerospace and Resilience by Ispace of Japan. Blue Ghost is expected to land ahead of Athena, while Resilience will arrive at the moon in May.
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