Private American company Intuitive Machines successfully sent the new landing module Athena to the moon. The purpose of the mission is to study the South Pole of the satellite, where the presence of frozen water is suspected. Unlike the previous apparatus of the company, which experienced landing issues, Athena is designed to perform a more accurate landing.
The launch took place from the cosmodrome NASA using SpaceX missiles. Athena is expected to reach the moon in just two weeks and on March 6 will attempt to gently land on the surface. A key feature of the mission is a small Grace drone that will make test jumps and explore one of the constantly dark craters where sunlight never reaches.
Scientists speculate that these craters may contain ice, which could be vital for obtaining water, oxygen, and rocket fuel in the future. The data collected by Grace, if it successfully penetrates the 20-meter cavity, will help confirm or refute this hypothesis.
This marks Intuitive Machines’ second attempt to send a device to the moon. The first mission resulted in a problematic landing due to a height sensor failure. The company assures that all issues have been addressed this time and is optimistic about the mission’s success. In the event of another mishap, the drone and lunar rover onboard Athena will not be able to recover and start working.
The mission is part of NASA’s program to return humans to the moon, with the agency paying $62 million for the delivery of scientific devices, including a rover intended to drill lunar soil in search of water ice. Additionally, third-party payloads, such as NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer satellite and a private spacecraft bound for an asteroid, were also launched on the rocket.
Several devices from various countries and companies are en route to the moon, with another American probe from Firefly Aerospace expected in the coming days. The lunar race is advancing, and in the following years, humanity could gain crucial insights for the development of the Earth’s satellite.