Athena launched to the Moon: a new module from SpaceX with an innovative communication station
Kyiv • UNN
Intuitive Machines' Athena lunar lander has successfully launched on a Falcon 9 rocket. The device will land on the Moon on March 6 and test the soil near the South Pole.
Intuitive Machines' lunar lander has successfully separated from SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket and begun its journey to the Moon.
This is reported by NASA, UNN.
Details
According to NASA, at approximately 20:01 EST, Intuitive Machines' lunar lander separated from SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, and about 12 minutes later, the module powered up and continued its week-long flight to the moon.
According to the information, the spacecraft is carrying NASA's scientific and technological developments as part of the CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and the Artemis campaign. NASA's Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft, which also launched as part of the mission, separated from the launch vehicle at 20:04 EST and will also continue its journey into lunar orbit, where it will map the distribution of various forms of water on the Moon.
At the same time, the Athena lander is scheduled to land on the Moon on March 6. This will be the second lunar landing as part of the IM-2 mission, which will be one of the first demonstrations of in-situ resource sensing.
The spacecraft will test volatile substances and gases in the lunar soil in the Mons Mouton area, near the Moon's South Pole. In addition, the module will carry a laser reflector system that will help orbiters navigate.
Other technological tools of this delivery will demonstrate a reliable ground-based communication system and deploy a propulsion drone that can jump on the lunar surface.