NASA’s Athena lunar lander is poised to make its descent onto the Moon’s south pole today, adding to the growing fleet of spacecraft engaged in lunar exploration.
The mission aims to advance scientific research, search for water ice, and pave the way for future crewed missions.
Developed by Houston-based private firm Intuitive Machines, Athena is targeting a touchdown near the Mons Mouton landing site.
This location is distinct from the ‘Shiv Shakti’ point where India’s Chandrayaan-3 successfully landed in August 2023, making India the first nation to achieve a south pole lunar landing.
Athena entered lunar orbit earlier this week, having been launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on 26 February.
According to an update from Intuitive Machines, the landing attempt is scheduled for 11:32 a.m. EST (10:00 p.m. IST).
As the lander continues to circle the Moon, it has transmitted high-resolution images of the lunar surface.
Also read: Private lunar lander 'Blue Ghost' lands on Moon
“Athena continues to be in excellent health in Low Lunar Orbit (LLO). She’s completed 24 of her 39 orbits, waiting for the sun to rise on her Mons Mouton landing site,” Intuitive Machines stated in a post on X on 5 March.
The Mons Mouton site has been selected for its potential to host water ice deposits, a key focus of NASA’s lunar exploration strategy. The agency aims to study local resources that could support long-duration human presence on the Moon.
Athena’s mission, designated IM-2, falls under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) programme, which contracts private companies to transport scientific and technological payloads to the Moon’s surface. This marks Intuitive Machines’ second lunar mission, following the successful landing of its Odysseus spacecraft in February 2024.
Meanwhile, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 touched down on the Moon’s near side on 3 March at 3:34 a.m. EST. The mission carried NASA instruments designed to advance scientific and technological research.
“The science and technology we send to the Moon now helps prepare the way for future NASA exploration and long-term human presence to inspire the world for generations to come,” Nicky Fox, Associate Administrator for Science at NASA Headquarters in Washington DC, stated.
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