The next mission under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program already has a potential launch date for later this week, and it will bring Intuitive Machines' Athena in for the ride.
This will be the second lunar lander from Intuitive Machines to attempt a touchdown on the Moon, and this likewise involves another commercial partner, SpaceX.
Last year, Intuitive Machines launched its Nova-C lunar lander to the Moon and found success, with its Odysseus lander debuting the company's foray into the natural satellite.
NASA CLPS, Intuitive Machines May Launch Athena This Week
NASA announced and confirmed that Intuitive Machines is now scheduled to launch later this week for another attempt at a Moon landing mission, this time featuring its Athena lunar lander. This new Nova-C lander is the improved version of last year's Odysseus, with the IM-2 mission targeting a launch date of Wednesday, Feb. 26.
SpaceX will fulfill the spacecraft's trip to orbit as it will go onboard the Falcon 9 reusable rocket before it detaches and begins its long journey to the Moon. It will take place at Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.
The mission is part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services and the Artemis campaign, with this being Intuitive Machines' second time to attempt a moon landing. It is likewise seen as their redemption mission after the entire ordeal last year.
Intuitive Machines Nova-C Lander to Attempt Moon Landing By March
According to NASA, should the Feb. 26 launch take place, Intuitive Machines' Nova-C lander will reach the Moon next month and will attempt a landing on its surface no earlier than March 6. It will take approximately one week for Athena to make its way to the Moon.
The Athena lander carries an array of NASA instruments that will collect samples and information in the lunar South Pole that will greatly help the crewed Artemis missions in the future.
NASA and Intuitive Machines' Moon Mission
In Feb. 2024, NASA's CLPS program and Intuitive Machines set out for a historic flight that brought back the United States to the Moon after over fifty years since the last Apollo mission. The private space company was able to successfully bring the Nova-C lander called Odysseus to land on the Moon, but its success was cut short as it tipped over because of damages sustained by its leg.
Intuitive Machines' lander successfully reached the lunar surface in its landing attempt, but it faced a problem with the spacecraft's legs, prematurely ending the mission in only five days as it exhausted its power supply.
The spacecraft was supposed to last for seven to ten days on the lunar surface before it met its end, but it was later revealed that an overlooked laser switch caused the problems, leading to a damaging landing that severely affected the mission.
Initially, Intuitive Machines improved the Nova-C spacecraft for the IM-2 mission set for 2024, and this included tweaks and upgrades for the lander to avoid facing the same fate as Odysseus. While things may not have gone as planned for an immediate 2024 launch, this second lunar mission from NASA and Intuitive Machines may be the one to make history yet again.
