NASA is set to land a Athena Moon lander spacecraft on the Moon’s south pole on March 6, joining a growing list of lunar missions, including India’s, aimed at mapping the surface, searching for water, and conducting scientific research.
The Athena moon lander, developed by Houston-based private company Intuitive Machines, will attempt to land near the Mons Mouton site, distinct from ISRO’s Chandrayaan-3’s ‘Shiv Shakti’ touchdown point. In August 2023, India became the first country to land on the Moon’s south pole.
Athena entered lunar orbit earlier this week after launching aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on February 26. Intuitive Machines has scheduled its landing attempt for 11:32 a.m. EST (around 10 p.m. IST) on Thursday.
As the lander orbits the Moon, it has transmitted striking images of the lunar surface. “Athena remains in excellent condition in Low Lunar Orbit (LLO), completing 24 out of 39 orbits while waiting for sunrise at the Mons Mouton landing site,” the company posted on X on March 5. NASA aims to study water ice and other resources in this region to support long-term human missions.
The IM-2 mission, which includes Athena, is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which collaborates with private companies to deliver scientific and technological payloads to the Moon. This marks Intuitive Machines’ second lunar mission, following the successful landing of its Odysseus spacecraft in February 2024.
Meanwhile, on Sunday at 3:34 a.m. EST, another American space company, Firefly Aerospace, successfully landed its Blue Ghost Mission 1 on the Moon’s near side, carrying NASA’s scientific and technological instruments.
“The science and technology we send to the Moon now help pave the way for future NASA exploration and long-term human presence, inspiring generations to come,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C.
