Intuitive Machines’ Athena Lander Set for Historic Moon Landing

A robotic lander named Athena is poised to make its final descent to the moon’s surface, potentially marking the second lunar touchdown for a US company this week. Houston-based Intuitive Machines, which last year became the first private-sector company to soft-land a vehicle on the moon, has announced that its Athena spacecraft is on track to touch down around 11:30 a.m. CT (12:30 p.m. ET) Thursday, according to a recent social media update from the company.

Historic Lunar Touchdown

If successful, the 15-foot-tall (4.6-meter-tall) Athena will join another lunar lander developed by Texas-based Firefly Aerospace of Cedar Park, which made a safe, upright touchdown early Sunday morning. Both Athena and Firefly’s Blue Ghost are expected to operate on the moon’s near side, but the two spacecraft will be positioned roughly 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) apart, with Blue Ghost near the lunar equator and Athena situated close to the south pole — closer than any astronaut or vehicle has ventured before.

The Challenges of Lunar Landings

Lunar landings are exceedingly difficult feats. Approximately half of all attempts, including those by government space agencies and commercial companies, have ended in failure. Early Thursday morning, Athena completed an engine burn that set it on a trajectory out of lunar orbit and toward the surface, as reported by Intuitive Machines. The lander then began coasting for about an hour before heading into its final descent.

During this critical phase, the vehicle must rapidly shed speed, reducing its velocity by about 4,000 miles per hour (1,800 meters per second) before hitting the ground. The moon’s south pole is considered crucial to the modern space race because scientists believe it is home to vast stores of water ice. This ice could be converted to drinking water, breathable air, or even rocket fuel for missions that journey deeper into the cosmos.

Athena’s Mission Objectives

Athena is slated to land at a 60-mile-wide (100-kilometer-wide) plateau, which lies about 100 miles (160 kilometers) from the lunar south pole. Once on the surface, the lander will commence its scouting mission. The vehicle is equipped with an array of robotic tools, including a drill, hopper, and rover, to scour the nearby area for confirmation that water ice is stored across the region.

Intuitive Machines’ Historic Journey

Before Intuitive Machines made history last year with its first lander, affectionately referred to as Odie, only a handful of government space programs had successfully achieved a lunar landing. The United States, China, India, Japan, and the former Soviet Union were part of this exclusive club. However, Odie’s trip, which also ventured near the south pole region, faced challenges. Before landing, mission teams discovered that the laser rangefinder, designed to help navigate the lunar terrain and precisely measure altitude, was not correctly hardwired. This misstep forced the company to rely on an experimental NASA payload, which fortuitously happened to be on board.

As the countdown to Athena’s landing continues, the world watches with bated breath, hoping for a successful touchdown that could pave the way for future lunar exploration and the quest for vital resources on the moon.