Non-public firm Intuitive Machines launches lunar lander Athena to discover moon’s south pole with drone Grace

Photographers report pictures of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with Intuitive Machines’ second lunar lander as lifts off from pad 39A on the Kennedy House Middle in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on February 26, 2025.
| Photograph Credit score: AP

A non-public firm launched one other lunar lander Wednesday (February 26, 2025), aiming to get nearer to the moon’s south pole this time with a drone that can hop right into a jet-black crater that by no means sees the solar.

Intuitive Machines’ lander, named Athena, caught a elevate with SpaceX from NASA’s Kennedy House Middle. It’s taking a quick observe to the moon — with a touchdown on March 6 — whereas hoping to keep away from the destiny of its predecessor, which tipped over at landing.

By no means earlier than have so many spacecraft angled for the moon’s floor all of sudden. Final month, U.S. and Japanese firms shared a rocket and individually launched landers towards Earth’s sidekick. Texas-based Firefly Aerospace ought to get there first this weekend after an enormous head begin.

The 2 U.S. landers are carrying tens of tens of millions of {dollars}’ price of experiments for NASA because it prepares to return astronauts to the moon.

“It’s an incredible time. There’s a lot power,” NASA’s science mission chief Nicky Fox advised The Related Press a number of hours forward of the launch.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with Intuitive Machines’ second lunar lander lifts off from pad 39A on the Kennedy House Middle in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on February 26, 2025.
| Photograph Credit score:
AP

This isn’t Intuitive Machines’ first lunar rodeo. Final yr, the Texas firm made the primary U.S. landing on the moon in additional than 50 years. However an instrument that gauges distance didn’t work and the lander got here down too laborious and broke a leg, tipping onto its aspect.

Intuitive Machines stated it has mounted the problem and dozens of others. A sideways touchdown like final time would stop the drone and a pair of rovers from transferring out. NASA’s drill additionally wants an upright touchdown to pierce beneath the lunar floor to collect soil samples for evaluation.

“Definitely, we shall be higher this time than we had been final time. However you by no means know what might occur,” stated Trent Martin, senior vp of house programs.

Solely 5 international locations have pulled off a lunar touchdown over the a long time: Russia, the U.S., China, India and Japan. The moon is plagued by wreckage from many previous failures.

The 15-foot (4.7-meter) Athena will goal a touchdown 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the lunar south pole. Only a quarter-mile (400 meters) away is a completely shadowed crater — the last word vacation spot for the drone named Grace.

Named after the late laptop programming pioneer Grace Hopper, the 3-foot (1-meter) drone will make three more and more increased and longer check hops throughout the lunar floor utilizing hydrazine fueled-thrusters for flight and cameras and lasers for navigation.

If these excursions go effectively, it would hop into the close by pitch-black crater, an estimated 65 toes (20 meters) deep. Science devices from Hungary and Germany will take measurements on the backside whereas trying to find frozen water.

Will probably be the primary up-close peek inside one of many many shadowed craters dotting each the north and south poles. Scientists suspect these craters are filled with tons of ice. If that’s the case, this ice may very well be remodeled by future explorers into water to drink, air to breathe and even rocket gasoline.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with Intuitive Machines’ second lunar lander lifts off from pad 39A on the Kennedy House Middle in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on February 26, 2025.
| Photograph Credit score:
AP

NASA is paying $62 million to Intuitive Machines to get its drill and different experiments to the moon. The corporate, in flip, bought house on the lander to others. It additionally opened up the Falcon rocket to ride-sharing.

Tagalongs included NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer satellite tv for pc, which is able to fly individually to the moon over the subsequent a number of months earlier than getting into lunar orbit to map the distribution of water beneath. Additionally catching a experience was a non-public spacecraft that can chase after an asteroid for a flyby, a precursor to asteroid mining.