Liftoff! Intuitive Machines’ Lunar Lander Begins Journey to the Moon

At 7:16 p.m. EST, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched the Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander named Athena from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.  

Aboard the mission are a suite of NASA technology and science instruments along with commercial payloads on their way to the Moon as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign. These instruments aim to help the agency develop capabilities needed to explore the Moon under Artemis and in advance of human missions on the lunar surface.   

Also launching as a rideshare on the mission, NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer will be deployed to lunar orbit where it will map the distribution of the different forms of water on the Moon. 

The next major milestone will be when Athena separates from Falcon 9, which is expected to occur in approximately 45 minutes, or around 8:01 p.m. EST.