Intuitive Machines Prepares for Second Lunar Mission

Intuitive Machines, the company behind the historic first-ever commercial moon landing last year with its Odysseus spacecraft, is gearing up for another attempt at touching the lunar surface. The company’s second flight, which is part of (CLPS) program, is scheduled to launch no earlier than Wednesday, February 26, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The company is once again sending one of its Nova-C landers, nicknamed Athena, which is expected to take about a week to travel to the moon before attempting a landing around March 6.

Athena is carrying NASA instruments, including a drill and mass spectrometer, which will be used to attempt one of the first on-site demonstrations of resource use on the moon, according to the space agency. These tools will measure volatiles in the soil at the landing site in the lunar South Pole. This mission also provides Intuitive Machines with another chance to land its spacecraft with all six feet on the ground, after its previous Odysseus lander during its landing last year.