Moon lander from Intuitive Machines ready for descent to lunar surface
CBSN
Eight days after launch, a second commercially built moon lander, this one built by Houston-based Intuitive Machines, is poised for touchdown Thursday near the lunar south pole to evaluate the environment where NASA astronauts plan to land in the agency's Artemis program.
Known as Athena, the IM-2 spacecraft was expected to drop out of orbit and touch down 100 miles from the moon's south pole at 11:32 a.m. EST. The spacecraft is loaded with sophisticated instruments, a small rover, experimental cellular communications gear and a rocket-powered "hopper" that will bounce from site to site near the lander.
The solar-powered Athena will have about 10 days to complete its observations and measurements before the sun sets and darkness sweeps over the landing site at the end of the lunar day.
