Athena’s Lunar Quest
A second private spacecraft aims to land on the moon this week. Intuitive Machines in Texas built Athena, a robotic lander. A SpaceX Falcon 9 launched it on February 26. Athena’s Lunar Quest aims for the moon’s south pole on Thursday. The mission targets water ice beneath the lunar surface.
Touchdown is scheduled at 12:32 p.m. ET, March 6. Success would follow Firefly Aerospace’s landing on Sunday. NASA’s CLPS program backs both missions, supporting private spacecraft for lunar exploration. These efforts aim to assist astronaut returns.
Intuitive Machines sets its sights on the moon’s south pole again. The company made history in 2024 with Odysseus, which managed a tipped landing last year. Athena’s Lunar Quest seeks a smoother finish at Mons Mouton. Water ice is sought as a key resource.
Mission Highlights
Athena carries several rovers to the moon’s south pole. MAPP, a Lunar Outpost rover, maps terrain in 3D. AstroAnt, a tiny MIT rover, monitors MAPP’s health. Grace, a hopping drone, scans craters for ice.
Athena tests a 4G network built by Nokia. It aims to relay communications between lunar crafts. After landing, it will conduct a weeklong search for water ice. NASA CLPS fuels Athena’s Lunar Quest for future crewed missions.
Firefly’s Blue Ghost landed in Mare Crisium on Sunday. Japan’s ispace plans a third landing this summer. These private spacecraft efforts spark Moonmania.
Source: NBC News
