SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket blasts off to the moon with NASA satellite, US firm's Athena lander aboard

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, carrying the Houston-based firm’s Athena lander and NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer satellite, successfully launched on Thursday from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Last year, Intuitive Machines became the first private firm to land a robot on the Moon, but the mission faced issues after the lander tipped over. This time, the company hopes for a smoother landing.

The Athena lander is set to touch down on 6 March at the vast Mons Mouton plateau, a site closer to the lunar south pole. This is the same site which was targeted for landing in the previous missions.

Lander Athena to look for ice beneath moon’s surface

Athena carries scientific instruments, including a drill to search for ice beneath the surface and a first-of-its-kind hopping drone named Grace, after the famous computer scientist Grace Hopper.

A small rover onboard is also equipped with a lunar cellular network from Nokia Bell Labs. It will test communication by sending commands, images, and videos between the lander, rover, and hopper.

If the network works well, it may later be integrated into astronauts’ suits for future missions.

Intuitive Machines CEO Trent Martin emphasised the hopper’s potential, saying it could explore areas rovers cannot reach, such as deep lunar pits and underground tunnels formed by ancient lava flows.

The US is encouraging private Moon missions through the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) programme, which helps deliver NASA equipment to the Moon at a lower cost than traditional missions.

NASA’s Nicky Fox told reporters that he is excited about the Artemis programme, which aims to return astronauts to the lunar surface later this decade, as they prepare for humanity’s return to the Moon and the journey to Mars.

Moreover, NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft is also onboard the rocket.
The satellite will travel to lunar orbit to map water on the Moon.