Intuitive Machines’ second lunar lander is en route to the moon following a successful SpaceX Falcon 9 launch on Feb. 26. This launch, also carrying three rideshare payloads, departed from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center.
The IM-2 lunar lander, named Athena, separated from the Falcon 9's upper stage approximately 44 minutes after launch, following a second stage burn to set its lunar trajectory. Ground control established telemetry contact with the lander roughly 20 minutes post-separation.
Athena is targeting a landing near Mons Mouton, a plateau in the moon's south polar region. The planned landing is scheduled for around midday Eastern time on March 6. This Nova-C design lander is similar to the company's first lander, IM-1 (Odysseus), which landed nearly a year prior.
Intuitive Machines incorporated several design modifications into Athena to address issues encountered during the IM-1 mission, most notably the malfunctioning laser altimeter which led to a hard landing. IM-2 carries NASA's Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment 1 (PRIME-1), designed to probe the lunar surface for water ice and other volatiles.
“We’re looking to show that we can find what resources already exist on the moon for a sustained human presence,” stated Nicky Fox, NASA associate administrator for science, during a prelaunch briefing. She highlighted Mons Mouton as “a scientifically strategic location” due to its elevation and permanently shadowed craters, adding, “We hope that that’s going to provide opportunities for extraordinary science in extraordinary places.”
The mission also includes various commercial payloads, such as Intuitive Machines' Micro Nova Hopper, Lunar Outpost and Dymon Co. Ltd. rovers, a Nokia 4G/LTE communications payload, a Lonestar Data Holdings data center payload, and thermal protection technologies from Columbia Sportwear.
In addition to IM-2, the Falcon 9 deployed three secondary payloads approximately four minutes after the lander's separation. IM-2 represents the fourth CLPS mission launch. Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander, launched in January 2024, experienced a propulsion failure, and Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost 1 is currently in lunar orbit, aiming for an early March landing.
“It’s really great to see it coming to fruition,” Fox commented on the CLPS program, emphasizing the desire for a consistent launch schedule. “We really do want to get on a regular cadence of about two launches a year, two selections of new missions a year, and really keep that momentum going.”