SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket this evening, carrying a commercial lunar lander and a NASA lunar orbiter among other payloads. The mission marks another step in humanity’s renewed efforts to explore the Moon’s surface and resources.
The Intuitive Machines-2 (IM-2) lunar lander, Athena. Credit: Intuitive Machines.
A Perfect Liftoff and Deployment
The Falcon 9 lifted off at 7:16 p.m. ET from Kennedy Space Center’s Launch Complex 39A, with the primary payload being Intuitive Machines’ (IM) Athena lander, also known as IM-2. The lander is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, designed to advance commercial involvement in lunar exploration.
IM-2 separated from the second stage 43 minutes after launch. Although initial attempts to establish communication were unsuccessful, contact was made shortly after. Alongside IM-2, three small spacecraft also deployed within minutes: Astroforge’s cubesat Odin, NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer, and EPIC Aerospace’s Chimera GEO 1. Each has distinct scientific and operational objectives, ranging from asteroid imaging to orbital transportation.
The IM-2 Athena lander carries ten scientific and commercial payloads, including NASA’s PRIME-1 drill, IM’s Grace “hopper”, and Lunar Outpost’s MAPP micro-rover. The lander is set for a rapid journey, targeting a landing at Mons Mouton near the Moon’s South Pole in just eight days—significantly faster than other recent commercial lunar missions.
IM-2 follows in the footsteps of its predecessor, IM-1, which landed last year. Despite tipping over due to a broken landing leg, IM-1 was still considered a success, proving the viability of commercial lunar landings.
A Race to the Moon
IM-2 joins two other commercial landers currently en route: Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1, another CLPS initiative set to land on March 3, and Japan’s SMBC x HAKUTO-R Venture Moon lander/rover, which will arrive later in May or June. Unlike these missions, which take a longer trajectory to conserve fuel, IM-2’s direct approach ensures a faster arrival.
Once it reaches the lunar surface, IM-2 will operate for only 10 days, as it lacks the power sources needed to survive the harsh lunar night. Most small commercial landers rely on solar power, making
it difficult for them to endure the freezing 14-day lunar night cycle.
Illustration of Lunar Trailblazer orbiting the Moon. Credit: Lockheed Martin
Lunar Trailblazer: Mapping the Moon’s Water
While IM-2 heads for the surface, NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer will enter lunar orbit to map water across the Moon. Developed under NASA’s SIMPLEX program, the 440-pound (200 kg) spacecraft carries two scientific instruments: one from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory and another from the University of Oxford, funded by the U.K. Space Agency. The mission aims to determine the location and variability of lunar water over time. Unlike IM-2, Lunar Trailblazer’s journey will take several months, using a fuel-efficient trajectory assisted by gravitational forces.
Exploring the South Pole with New Technologies
IM-2 is targeting Mons Mouton, a location closer to the Moon’s South Pole than any previous mission. The area is of high interest to NASA, as permanently shadowed regions may contain frozen water deposited by comets over billions of years.
One of the most innovative payloads on board IM-2 is the Micro Nova Hopper, nicknamed "Grace" after computing pioneer Grace Hopper. Unlike traditional rovers, Grace will hop across the lunar surface and into craters—locations inaccessible to wheeled vehicles. The hopper carries three key instruments:
- A camera
- Puli Lunar Water Snooper (a neutron spectrometer from Hungary to detect water)
- A Lunar Radiometer from Germany’s space agency (DLR) to measure temperature
The hopper will communicate with the lander using Nokia’s 4G/LTE Lunar Surface Communications
System, which is also supporting Lunar Outpost’s MAPP rover.
Credit: NASA
A Fully Loaded Lander
IM-2 is carrying 10 payloads, showcasing a diverse range of scientific and commercial objectives:
1. PRIME-1 drill (NASA) – drills 3 feet deep to analyze lunar ice.
2. Lunar Retroreflector Array (LRA) (NASA) – for lunar surface measurements.
3. Nokia Lunar Surface Communications System (Nokia/NASA) – enables 4G/LTE communication.
4. Micro Nova Hopper ("Grace") (IM/NASA) – hopping mobility experiment.
5. Lunar Radiometer (DLR, Germany) – temperature measurement.
6. Puli Lunar Water Snooper (Hungary/NASA) – detects subsurface water.
7. Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform (MAPP) rover (Lunar Outpost) – micro rover for exploration.
8. YAOKI rover (Dymon Co., Japan) – tests small rover mobility.
9. Freedom Data Storage System (Lonestar Data Holdings) – lunar data storage technology.
10. Omni-Heat Infinity & Omni-Shade Sun Deflector (Columbia Sportswear) – tests new material coatings.
A Rare Lunar Eclipse Observation
Intuitive Machines also plans to use IM-2 to observe a lunar eclipse on March 14 at approximately 2:00 a.m. EST. At that time, the Moon will enter Earth's shadow, providing an opportunity for scientific observation from the surface.
NASA’s CLPS program was created to stimulate the commercial space industry by purchasing lunar delivery services rather than developing government-owned landers. Companies like Intuitive Machines, Firefly Aerospace, and Astrobotic are proving that commercial missions can play a crucial role in lunar exploration.
As the space industry expands its footprint on the Moon, missions like IM-2 represent a critical step toward long-term human exploration and resource utilization—paving the way for future astronaut landings and a sustainable lunar economy.
IM-2’s eight-day journey is just beginning, and if successful, it will provide valuable insights into the Moon’s resources, terrain, and technological capabilities—bringing us one step closer to a new era of lunar exploration.
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