Athena probe launches as Intuitive Machines advances lunar exploration

A year after making history, the American company Intuitive Machines has once again set its sights on the Moon. On Wednesday, the Texas-based company launched a new lunar probe, Athena, alongside other spacecraft, including a NASA satellite designed to study the Moon’s surface. The launch took place at 7:16 PM local time from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX rocket.

In February 2024, Intuitive Machines became the first private company to successfully land a probe on the Moon. However, due to a navigation failure, the probe approached the surface too quickly, damaging at least one of its six legs. The company aims to avoid a similar issue with Athena, which, like its predecessor, was sent under a NASA contract. The probe is scheduled to attempt a lunar landing on March 6, just days after a separate mission by Firefly Aerospace.

A Sci-Fi-Inspired Mission

Standing over four meters tall, Athena carries scientific instruments for NASA, a device to establish a cellular network on the Moon, and a small hopping robot designed to explore hard-to-reach areas.

“This mission feels like something straight out of our favorite science fiction movies,” said Nicky Fox, a NASA official.

One of NASA’s key experiments involves drilling into the lunar soil in search of water and volatile substances to assess the feasibility of sustaining human presence on the Moon. The agency is particularly interested in the Moon’s South Pole, a region yet to be explored by astronauts but targeted for future human missions under the Artemis program. While Artemis aims to establish a permanent human presence on the Moon and prepare for missions to Mars, budget constraints and political changes could impact its future, especially if Donald Trump returns to the presidency, given his skepticism about revisiting the Moon.

A $62.5 Million Mission

For Intuitive Machines, this mission represents a strategic step in a rapidly growing lunar exploration market, where both governments and private enterprises are increasing their presence.

“Landing on the Moon is a real challenge,” emphasized Joel Kearns, a senior NASA official. The company has made several technical improvements since its last mission, particularly in its altimeter system, which measures the probe’s altitude relative to the lunar surface. This second mission comes with a budget of $62.5 million.

NASA’s initiative to collaborate with private companies, including Intuitive Machines and Firefly Aerospace, is part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, aimed at reducing mission costs. Since January 2024, this program has launched four missions, with the latest marking another critical milestone in lunar exploration.