NASA 'Athena' Moon mission this week—How to watch launch event
What's the story
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) is preparing for its next Moon mission, scheduled to launch on February 26.
The Nova-C lander, dubbed 'Athena,' will be launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida's Kennedy Space Center at Launch Complex 39A.
The mission is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and the larger Artemis campaign.
Mission goals
Mission objectives and live coverage details
The IM-2 mission by Intuitive Machines, which will carry NASA's scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to the Moon, will be streamed online.
Space enthusiasts can tune into the live launch coverage on NASA+. Prelaunch events will begin on February 25 with the exact launch time to be announced later today.
As per NASA's official website, "Launch coverage will begin on NASA+ approximately 45 minutes before lift-off."
Lunar expedition
Lunar lander's journey and landing details
After launch, Intuitive Machines' lunar lander will spend some one week in transit to the Moon.
NASA expects the spacecraft to land on the lunar surface sometime on Thursday, March 6 or later.
The IM-2 mission will conduct one of the first on-site demonstrations of resource use on the Moon, including a drill and mass spectrometer to measure potential volatiles or gasses from lunar soil in Mons Mouton, a plateau in Moon's South Pole.