Athena lunar lander successfully lands near moon’s south pole on im-2 mission

The private lunar lander atena, developed by Intuitive machinesHas touched down Near the Moon’s South Pole, Thought the Exact Condition of the Spacecraft Remains Unclear. The houton-based company has confirmed that lander is on the surface, but mission controllers are working to determine its orientation. The landing, which took place on March 6 at 12:32 pm Est, was part of nasa’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) Initiative. The mission, Known as im-2, AIMS to Deliver Scientific Instruments to the Lunar Surface to Investigate Resources and Conduct Technology Demonstrations. A Post-Landing Press Conference has been Scheduled to Provide further details on the lander’s status.

Mission and Landing Details

According to reportsThe im-2 mission was launched on February 26 aboard a Spacex Falcon 9 Rocket form Nasa’s kennedy space center In Florida. Atena Entred Lunar Orbit on March 3, with no additional course corrections required due to the precision of its approach. The descent sequence included Multiple Automated Maneuvers, Such as Terrain Relative Navigation and Hazard Detection and Avoidance, to ENSURE A SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE SAFE LAND MOUNS MOUNS MOTON The lander’s final descent was it slow to a rate of 3 feet per second before making contact with the surface. Confirmation Signals were expected within 15 seconds of landing.

Scientific goals and onboard technology

As Reported By space.com, Atna Carries Nasa’s Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (Prime-1), which consists of a drill knowledge as Trident and a Mass Spectrometer (mso) Lunar Surface. A Secondary Spacecraft, Grace, have also been deployed to explore a permanently shadowed carater. Additional, the lander features the first-ever 4G/lTE network on the moon, provided by Nokia Bell Labs, and a laser retro-turfletor array (LRA) for Future Navigation Experiences. Operations are planned to continue for approximately ten days before lunar nightfall.