The private Athena moon lander has arrived in Florida in preparation for its launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, scheduled for February 26th. This mission, designated IM-2, is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and aims to explore the Mons Mouton region near the moon's south pole.
Athena carries several payloads, including a drill for resource prospecting, a mass spectrometer, a micro-nova hopper to explore shadowed craters, and the MAPP rover for lunar terrain exploration. It will also test Nokia's Lunar Surface Communication System, the first-ever 4G/LTE network on the moon.
This mission follows Intuitive Machines' successful landing of the Odysseus lander in 2024, marking a significant step towards establishing sustainable lunar infrastructure and supporting future Artemis missions.