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Lander IM-2 Moon Lander, called ATHENA, has acquired this view of the ground shortly after its launch on February 26, 2025. The visible at the bottom of the frame is the second stage of the Spacex Falcon 9 missile that canceled Athens. | Credit: Intuitive machines
The newly launched Lunar Lander acquired some amazing shots from its original planet.
Athens, Handin Houston, Houston, Houston Intuitive machinesIt was launched on top a Spacex Falcon 9 from the Florida Space Coast Wednesday evening (February 26).
Soon after the spread in the final limits, Athens took some personal photos with the ground in the background, including one that appears Falcon 9The upper stage is drifting in a vacuum below the ground. (The visible bright spots near the missile stage may be some of the other loads that were launched with Athens, such as NASA Moon Trail Blazer Orbiter and Odin, a probe built by asteroid mining company Astroforge.)
Athens is scheduled to land on the moon on March 6. | Credit: Intuitive machines
As these pictures indicate, everything is going well with the Athens’ mission, which is called IM-2.
Related to: Spacex Rocket launches Price Moon Lander and NASA “Trail Plaser” to search for lunar water (video)
“Athens created a stable position and shipping solar energy and radio communications with the company’s operations center in Houston after taking off on February 26,” the intuitive machines in A wrote. This morning update (February 27).
“Lander is in excellent health and is preparing for a series of major planned engine launches to improve its path before entering the orbit of the moon, which is planned on March 3. The intuitive machines expect an opportunity to drop in the moon on March 6.”
IM-2 fly through the NASA commercial load services program, which places the agency’s science and technology tools on the private moon. The goal is to collect a wealth from the cost -cost moon data before arrival Artemis Space pioneers a few years from now.
Athena’s main load is Prime-1 (“” Polar Resources Ice MININING Experience 1 “), which consists of deep drilling and blocs. This gear together will help scientists to evaluate the abundance of water ice and access to it at ATHENA’s Landing near the southern pole.
Athens also carry beautyA new spacecraft that was built by intuitive machines that will explore a hole near the landing site, and MAPP, a small game from Colorado Company Lunar. These three robots will remain in contact thanks to another IM-2 load, which is the lunar surface communication system in Nokia, which will be established The first 4G/LTE network on the moon.
Related stories:
– Spacex 2 Lands The Special Moon Lands Land to the Moon (Video, Pictures)
– NASA gives intuitive machines $ 117 million to the task of 2027 to the Antarctic to the moon
– Odysseus Moon Lander Special leg crashes during historical landing (new photos)
The first anchor of the intuitive machines, OdysseusSuccessfully landed on the moon in February 2024, to become the first special craft ever. But Athens will not be the second that starts from this achievement, if things go according to the plan.
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue ghost Lander is preparing to try to land, which will take place in the early hours of March 2. Blue Ghost It was launched on January 15th along with SteadfastnessThe Land of the Moon, which was built by ISPace, which is based in Tokyo, which will try to try to land in late May or early June.
