Intuitive Machines' Athena Lunar Lander Embarks on Mission to Moon's South Pole Aboard SpaceX Falcon 9

Intuitive Machines' second lunar lander, Athena (IM-2), launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center on February 26, along with three rideshare payloads. Athena is en route to Mons Mouton, a plateau near the moon's south pole, with a landing attempt scheduled for March 6. The mission aims to identify resources, particularly water ice, for sustained human presence. Athena carries NASA's PRIME-1 drill to extract subsurface samples for analysis, alongside commercial payloads including the Micro Nova Hopper, lunar rovers from Lunar Outpost and Dymon Co. Ltd., a Nokia 4G/LTE communications test, and a data center payload from Lonestar Data Holdings. This mission follows Intuitive Machines' first lunar landing with Odysseus (IM-1) and incorporates improvements to ensure a safe, upright landing. NASA's CLPS program supports this mission, aiming for regular lunar launches to advance space exploration and resource utilization.