NASA's second private Moon mission, Athena, is set to land near the Moon's south pole today, March 6, 2025. Developed by Intuitive Machines, a Houston-based private space firm, Athena aims to explore the Mons Mouton region, a site of significant scientific interest due to its potential water ice deposits.

The mission follows a precise lunar orbit insertion on March 3 and is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which supports scientific and technological research on the Moon.

Athena's primary objectives include exploring the lunar terrain and searching for water ice, a crucial resource for future human missions.

The lander is equipped with a deep-digging drill and a mass spectrometer to analyse lunar soil for substances like frozen water.

Additionally, it carries a hopping spacecraft named Grace and a small rover called MAPP, developed by Lunar Outpost. The landing attempt is scheduled for 12:32 PM ET (1732 GMT) (11:02 IST), marking a significant milestone in lunar exploration and contributing valuable data to NASA's Artemis program.

This mission highlights the growing role of private companies in lunar exploration, following closely after another American company, Firefly Aerospace, successfully deployed its Blue Ghost Mission 1 lander on March 3.

The success of Athena will further solidify the role of private companies in lunar exploration, paving the way for more ambitious projects under the Artemis program.

The lunar south pole is of particular interest due to its potential for resource extraction, as subsurface water ice could be converted into rocket fuel for future missions.

ANI