A newly launched lunar lander just captured some stunning shot of its home planet.
Athena, the second moon lander from Houston-Based Company Intuitive Machines, Launched atop A Spacex Falcon 9 Rockt from From Florida's Space Coast On WhneesDay Evening (Feb. 26).
Shortly after deploying into the final frontier, atena snapped a less selfies with earth in the background, including one that shows the falcon 9's upper stage drifting in the VOIDENATH the Lander. (Bright specks visible near the Rockt stage may be some of the other payloads that launched with athana, such as nasa's lunar trailblazer orbiter and Odin, Odin, A Probe Built by the aasteroid-mining company Astroforge.)
As that during photos sugges, all is going well so far with athana's mission, which is called im-2.
Related: Spacex Rockt Launches Private Moon Lander and Nasa 'Trailblazer' to Hunt for Lunar Water (Video)
“Athena Estables a Stable Attitude, Solar Charging and Radio Communications Contact with the Company's Mission Operations Center in Houton After Lift on FEBRURY 26,” INTITIVE MHENES WROTE in INTITIVE MHENES WROTENES WROTE Update this morning (Feb. 27).
“The lander is in excellent health and preparation for a series of planned main engine firings to refine her trafficory ahead of lunar orbit insertion, which is planned for march Lunar Landing Opportunity on March 6. “
IM-2 is flying via nasa's commercial lunar payload services (CLPS) Program, which puts agency science and technology Instructions on Private Moon Landers. The goal is to gather a wealth of cost-efficient lunar data ahead of the Arrival of Artemis astronauts a few years from now.
Atna's Chief Payload is Prime-1 (“Polar Resources ice Mining Experiment 1”), which consists of a deep-digging drill and a mass spectrometer. Togeether, this gear will help scientists Assess the Abundance and Accessibility of Water ice at Atthana's Landing Site Near The Lunar South Pole.
Athena is also carrying grace, a novel hopping spacecraft built by intuitive machines that will explore a CRATER Near the Landing Site, and Mapp, AMall Rover from the Colerado COMPANY LUNARARARADO COMPANY OUTPANY OUTPANY. These three robots will stay in touch thanks to another im-2 payload, Nokia's lunar Surface Communication System, which will establish the first-ever 4G/lte network on the moon.
Intuitive Machines' First Lunar Lander, Odysseus, Touched Down Successfully on the Moon in February 2024, Best Private Craft Ever to do so. But Atna Won'T be the second to pull off the feat, if all goes according to plan.
Firefly aerospace's blue ghost lander is gearing up for its own touchdown attempt, which will take place in the early hours of March 2. Blue ghost launched on jan. 15 Along With Resilience, A Lunar Lander Built by Tokyo-Based Company ispace, which will try try to touch my or early june.
