Texas Company Makes History with Soft Moon Landing: Ready for Exciting New Launch at the Pad!

Two robotic landers are on their way to the moon, one from the U.S. and another from Japan. This week, a third lander will join the journey.

Meet Athena! This spacecraft, created by Intuitive Machines in Houston, is the first private company to land safely on the moon.

Athena is ready for launch atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The big moment is set for Wednesday at 7:17 p.m. ET, and you’ll be able to watch it live on NASA+.

Athena’s mission, named IM-2, aims for the moon’s south pole, a crucial area for exploring potential water ice. Scientists believe this ice could be vital for future lunar missions, offering resources for air, water, and even rocket fuel.

As part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, the lander is equipped with advanced technology—a drill, a small robotic “hopper,” and even a tiny rover. These tools will help investigate the moon’s tricky landscape and search for signs of water.

“It’s all about the details in this mission,” says Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus. “There are many moving parts.”

Athena, roughly the size of a telephone booth, will take about a week to reach the moon. Its trajectory is much shorter than that of the other two landers, one called Blue Ghost from Firefly and another from Ispace.

Intuitive Machines made headlines last year when its first lander, nicknamed Odie, touched down on the moon. Odie managed to succeed where many have failed, as around 50% of lunar landers end in crashes or miss their targets. Before Odie, only a handful of countries had successfully landed crafts on the moon.

However, Odie’s journey had its bumps. Engineers had a navigation issue when a crucial laser sensor was not connected correctly, forcing them to rely on a backup system. Odie landed safely near a crater but ended up tipped over on its side, making data collection a challenge.

This time, the stakes are even higher. Athena will carry multiple smaller robots and a drill intended to reach up to a meter into the moon’s surface to search for water ice.

Commenting on IM-2, Altemus says, “It’s a more complex and exciting mission. We’re focusing on the scientific goals this time.”

Once in space, Athena will follow a precise launch path, described by Altemus as “a high-energy fastball pitch towards the moon.” There will be several tense moments as they light the engines, ensuring everything works smoothly to reach the moon.

During its journey, Athena will encounter a solar eclipse, temporarily blocking the sunlight. This means the spacecraft will need to power down some systems to conserve energy while it travels in the dark.

After reaching a trans-lunar injection orbit—about 236,000 miles from Earth—Athena will ignite its engines and head toward the moon’s gravity. Once on course, it will deploy the smaller spacecraft aboard, including NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer probe, which aims to map water distribution on the moon.

About a week after launch, Athena is set to make its landing at Mons Mouton, located near the lunar south pole. This site is notable for being the closest landing location to the pole, offering a unique environment for operations.

Mons Mouton also receives enough sunlight for a 10-day mission, crucial for maintaining communication with Earth. Despite nearby areas being in permanent shadow, this location allows for a good energy supply while searching for ice.

The landing area is cold and could contain valuable water ice, but navigating through impact craters poses a challenge. “IM-2 needs to be much more accurate than IM-1,” explains navigation lead Mike Hansen. The target landing precision is now down to about 50 meters.

Intuitive Machines plans for a March 6 touchdown, marking the beginning of the real work. As soon as they land, Athena will start drilling into the surface in search of water.

The tiny Micro Nova Hopper, named Grace, will be one of the robots deployed. It will jump around and try to gather data on ice deposits in the shadows of craters before sending information back to Earth.

Additionally, a four-wheeled rover developed by Lunar Outpost will roll out to conduct tests, including the use of a cellular network on the moon, part of a NASA-sponsored project with Nokia.

Overall, Athena’s IM-2 mission is expected to operate for about ten days, promising a packed schedule of exploration and discovery on our lunar neighbor.