Moon Mission: Athena's Big Day

A robot named Athena, standing tall at 15 feet. Its mission is to touch down on the moon's surface. This isn't just any landing. It's a big deal because if Athena succeeds, it will be the second private US company to do so this week. The landing is scheduled for 11:32 a. m. CT (12:32 p. m. ET) on Thursday. Athena will be making its way to a spot called Mons Mouton, a 60-mile-wide plateau near the lunar south pole. This area is special because scientists think there might be water ice hidden there. If Athena finds it, this ice could be turned into drinking water, breathable air, or even rocket fuel. This is a huge step forward for future space missions. The moon's surface is not an easy place to land. About half of all attempts, from both government agencies and private companies, have failed. Athena will need to perform a series of tasks to make it safely to the surface. It will start by firing its engine to leave lunar orbit and then coast for about an hour. During its final descent, it must slow down from a speed of about 4, 000 miles per hour to a gentle stop. Athena's journey is part of a broader effort. It's not just about landing; it's about exploring and learning. The lander will use various tools, including a drill, a hopper, and a rover, to search for water ice. This mission is expected to last about 10 days before the lunar nightfall makes operations impossible. Athena's mission isn't the first for Intuitive Machines. Last year, their first lander, Odysseus, made a historic landing near the south pole. But things didn't go perfectly. A navigation issue caused Odysseus to land on its side, which cut the mission short. This time around, Athena is aiming for a smoother landing and a more successful mission. Athena will also deploy a small rover called MAPP, built by Lunar Outpost. This rover will test new communication equipment, create a 3D map of the moon's surface, and take pictures. It will also collect a small soil sample, marking the first-ever commercial sale of space resources when NASA buys it for a symbolic $1. The primary goal of Athena's mission is to use NASA's PRIME-1 drill to search for water ice just below the moon's surface. If successful, this could make future missions to the moon much easier and more efficient. The south pole is considered crucial for the modern space race because of the potential water ice deposits. The mission is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. This program aims to encourage private companies to develop affordable robotic spacecraft for lunar exploration. The goal is to pave the way for NASA's Artemis III mission, which plans to land humans on the moon by mid-2027. The race to the moon is heating up, with both Firefly Aerospace and Intuitive Machines making significant strides. This competition is not just about who gets there first, but about what they can discover and achieve. The more we learn about the moon, the closer we get to exploring deeper into the cosmos.