Three private landers are on their way to the moon as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. Intuitive Machines’ Athena, launched on February 26, recently captured a photo of Earth from space, including its own SpaceX rocket stage and other payloads.
Athena is in excellent health and has established radio communications contact with Houston. The lander plans to refine its trajectory through a series of main engine firings before entering lunar orbit on March 3. A successful landing is targeted for March 6, with the goal of landing near the moon’s south pole, an area rich in water ice.
This mission marks a significant leap forward in lunar exploration and will demonstrate water hunting infrastructure services on the Moon’s surface. The lander is equipped with a drill to investigate these resources.
Other private landers, including Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost and ispace’s Resilience, are also en route to the moon, with landing targets set for March 2 and late spring, respectively. Landing on the moon remains a daunting task due to its lack of atmosphere, requiring precise thruster firing to slow down spacecraft upon impact.
Source: https://mashable.com/article/moon-mission-intuitive-machines-spacex-image