Intuitive Machines is ready to launch its second lunar lander, Athena, on Wednesday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The six-legged Nova-C moon lander will blast off on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and is expected to land near the South Pole of the moon.
Athena will search for water, ice, and other gases by drilling into the lunar surface. This mission is part of NASA’s $2.6 billion Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. Intuitive Machines made history last year when it became the first private company to successfully land on the moon with its Odysseus lunar lander.
The launch comes after a successful test in August, where Athena was sent to the lunar South Pole with six science and technology payloads. The previous mission had some issues, including the lunar lander tipping over after landing, but the signal eventually returned from the equipment.
Athena is now “buttoned up and ready to go,” according to senior vice president of space systems Trent Martin. The launch window is 7:02 p.m. and 7:34 p.m. ET.
Source: https://www.foxbusiness.com/fox-news-air-space/spacex-rocket-send-intuitive-machines-second-lunar-lander-moon