Houston, Jan. 28, 2025 – Intuitive Machines, Inc., a space exploration and services company, has successfully delivered its IM-2 mission lunar lander, Athena, to Cape Canaveral, Florida, following a historic southeast Texas snowfall. The arrival marks a significant milestone in the Company’s efforts to provide reliable cadence of lunar delivery services.
Athena will be launched by SpaceX in coordination with NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which aims to advance our understanding of the Moon and prepare for future crewed missions. The mission is designed to validate resource prospecting, mobility, and communications infrastructure in the Moon’s Mons Mouton region, one of nine potential Artemis III landing sites.
CEO Steve Altemus stated that each lunar mission builds on the last, demonstrating the Company’s dedication to delivering on its vision. Athena’s arrival reinforces Intuitive Machines’ broader efforts to develop a heavy cargo lander, establish a lunar data relay satellite constellation, and provide sustainable infrastructure services at the Moon.
The IM-2 lunar mission is expected to launch within a four-day window that opens no earlier than February 26, with backup opportunities determined based on lunar blackout windows and other factors. The Company’s second of four manifested lunar missions will validate resource prospecting, mobility, and communications infrastructure in the specified region.
Intuitive Machines successfully landed its Nova-C class lunar lander, Odysseus, on the Moon in 2024, marking the first time since 1972 that the United States has returned to the lunar surface. The Company’s products and services are offered through four business units: Lunar Access Services, Orbital Services, Lunar Data Services, and Space Products and Infrastructure.
Note: The forward-looking statements mentioned in the original text have been removed from this article as they may not be relevant or suitable for a news blog article.
Source: https://www.globenewswire.com/news-release/2025/01/28/3016396/0/en/Intuitive-Machines-Delivers-Second-Lunar-Mission-Lander-to-Cape-Canaveral-Florida.html