A robotic moon car is scheduled to be launched this week, which represents the second moon’s task for a year ago by a year by becoming The first private company to land on the surface of the moon successfully.
The spacecraft, known as Athens, was built by Texas -based intuitive machines. You will carry exercises and a set of tools to study the chemical makeup of the rocks and soil below the surface of the moon.
The task is part of the NASA commercial load services program, which was established by the Space Agency to support the development of private sector companies.
The target landing location is a plateau in the Antarctic Satisfaction area, on a flat mountain called Mons Mouton.
The lunar southern pole is of special importance for NASA because of It is believed that the water ice is relatively abundant In permanently shaded pits in the area. This water can eventually help the efforts made permanently on the moon. Athens Mission, in particular, will search for The presence of a potential surface waterWhich can be a decisive resource for future missions to the moon.
Athens is scheduled to be fired at the top of the Spacex Falcon 9 on Wednesday at 7:17 pm East time from the Kennedy Space Center in NASA in Florida.
The same missile will also launch an industrial moon in the NASA moon maps, known as Lunar Trailblazer.
The important two important areas of the multiple space this week: NASA also plans on Thursday to send the SPAREX Space Observatory to orbit. The satellite is designed to set the entire sky in three -dimensional and study the origins of the universe.
Meanwhile, Spacex also aims to launch Starship Megarock On the eighth test trip on Friday.
Then during the weekend, he will try a separate robotic moon – built by Firefly Aerospace – stability on the moon.
After its launch, Athens Lander is expected to spend about a week on a trip to the moon. If things go according to the plan on Wednesday, the spacecraft can fall early in March 6.
The task is also designed to test the 4G communications system, developed by Nokia, on the surface of the moon. Nokia officials said this network can be used to transfer data from Earth to the moon, or it can be used to transfer communications or remote measurement or other data between various spacecraft on the moon.
During its week’s mission, ATHENA Lander will launch a drone designed to make a series of jumps around the landing site. It is called the Grace, which is called a jumping robot, explores approximately 650 feet from the ground in four leaps, and ventures in a nearby hole to scan ice deposits and the potential presence of hydrogen, According to the intuitive machines.
The company achieved its first historical landing in February 2024, when Odysseus Lander fell Near a hole called malapt A, near the southern pole. The first teacher was not the first successful Moon by a private company, but was also the first time that an American spacecraft was launched on the moon for more than 50 years – since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.
However, Odysseus Lander ended on his side on its side on the surface of the moon, which hindered his ability to collect the intended amount of data (although the drop was considered success though).
This time, the intuitive machines hope to adhere to the landing.
NASA eventually plans to employ at least some companies participating in the commercial lunar load services program to transport goods and scientific tools to the moon as part of the broader Agency’s goal of returning astronauts to the moon.
This article was originally published on NBCNEWS.com
