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Intuitive Machines-2
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Intuitive Machines-2

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Also known as IM-2, CLPS-3, Athena

IM-2 was a lunar mission run by Intuitive Machines as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. It was launched on 27 February 2025, at 00:16:30UTC. The Nova-C lunar lander, named Athena, reached the surface of the Moon on 6 March 2025, at 17:28:50UTC. Contact was temporarily lost during the landing process; when it was re-established, it indicated that the spacecraft was not in the correct orientation and one of the two radio antennas was not operating. The sideways orientation prevented the spacecraft from generating sufficient power. By 7 March, Athenas power had been

Key facts

Spaceflight.name
AstroAnt
Spaceflight.image
File:Athena_sideways_on_the_Moon.jpg
Spaceflight.image_caption
Athena rests sideways after landing
Spaceflight.insignia
IM-2 insignia.png
Spaceflight.insignia_caption
IM-2 mission insigniaMotto: INTER LUCEM ET TENEBRAS(Between Light and Darkness)
Spaceflight.mission_type
Lunar rover
Spaceflight.operator
Intuitive Machines
Spaceflight.COSPAR_ID
2025-038A
Spaceflight.SATCAT
63099
Spaceflight.spacecraft
Athena
Spaceflight.spacecraft_type
Nova-C
Spaceflight.manufacturer
MIT
Spaceflight.launch_date
27 February 2025
Spaceflight.launch_rocket
Falcon 9 Block 5
Spaceflight.launch_site
Kennedy, LC-39A
Spaceflight.launch_contractor
SpaceX
Spaceflight.last_contact
7 March 2025, 06:15UTC
Spaceflight.programme
'Intuitive Machines Nova-C'''''

via Wikipedia infobox

~12 min read

Encyclopedic overview

15 sections
Contents
  • Background
  • Payloads
  • Nova-C lander
  • ''Yaoki'' rover
  • MAPP rover
  • PRIME-1
  • Instruments
  • Mission events
  • Prior to launch
  • Launch
  • Landing
  • Post-mission
  • See also
  • References
  • External links

IM-2 was a lunar mission run by Intuitive Machines as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. It was launched on 27 February 2025, at 00:16:30UTC. The Nova-C lunar lander, named Athena, reached the surface of the Moon on 6 March 2025, at 17:28:50UTC. Contact was temporarily lost during the landing process; when it was re-established, it indicated that the spacecraft was not in the correct orientation and one of the two radio antennas was not operating. The sideways orientation prevented the spacecraft from generating sufficient power. By 7 March, Athenas power had been fully depleted and was not expected to replenish, bringing the mission to its end.

Athena was designed to investigate the presence and quantity of lunar water ice using PRIME-1, a payload of a drill and mass spectrometer. Athena also carried a drone that was equipped with a neutron spectrometer to explore the permanently shadowed region (PSR) of Marston crater near the landing site. The mission aimed to measure hydrogen in the PSR, looking for indications of solid water ice.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Intuitive Machines-2” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.

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