NEW “Back to the Moon” Selfie: Intuitive Machines Launched Its Second Moon Lander! What’s Next?

The journey to the Moon has begun! At 7:16 PM EST, SpaceX’s Falcon 9 roared to life, launching the Intuitive Machines IM-2 mission from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. This marks another major milestone in NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program and the broader Artemis campaign, paving the way for future lunar exploration.

Update 27 Feb: First Images from Space

Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission is cruising smoothly toward the Moon. Launched on 26 February 2025, from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, the Athena lunar lander has successfully established stable operations, including solar charging and radio communications with mission control in Houston. And we just got a fresh selfie from deep space!

Aboard the IM-2 Mission

At the heart of this mission is Athena, Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C lunar lander, set to touch down at Mons Mouton, near the Moon’s south pole. Designed to advance lunar science, Athena carries cutting-edge NASA instruments to investigate water ice deposits – a crucial resource for future human missions.

But Athena isn’t alone. The mission also carries:

• NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer: A satellite designed to map and analyze lunar water distribution over time.
• AstroForge’s Odin: A spacecraft contributing to asteroid mining research.
• Epic Aerospace’s CHIMERA GEO 1: A 16U CubeSat designed to help small spacecraft reach geosynchronous orbit or beyond.

Current Status

Shortly after liftoff, Falcon 9’s first stage successfully landed on the droneship A Shortfall of Gravitas, marking an incredible 100th booster recovery for this landing platform. Meanwhile, deployment of the IM-2 payload is confirmed, with strong connections established through the Canberra antennas. Early reports show both IM-2 and Lunar Trailblazer performing well as they continue their journey toward the Moon.

What’s Next?

With liftoff behind us, here’s what to expect next from the IM-2 mission:

• Lunar Arrival & Landing (6 March 2025) – Athena will attempt a precision landing in a permanently shadowed crater at the lunar south pole.
• Surface Operations – Equipped with a drill, mass spectrometer, and laser retroreflector, Athena will study lunar volatiles. It will also deploy Micro Nova, a tiny hopping robot designed to explore rugged lunar terrain.
• Lunar Communications – In a groundbreaking step, Nokia will activate the first cellular network on the Moon, a major advancement for future lunar infrastructure.