The robotic lander Athena, developed by Intuitive Machines, is about to make its historic descent to the moon's surface, aiming to be the second lunar touchdown by a U.S. company within a week. Scheduled for around 11:30 a.m. CT on Thursday, a live stream of the event will be available co-hosted by NASA. If successful, Athena will operate near the moon's south pole, joining Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander. Both craft highlight the challenges and importance of lunar exploration, as successful landings remain highly difficult endeavors with a high failure rate.
Lunar landings are exceedingly difficult feats. About half of all attempts, including those by government space agencies and commercial companies, have ended in failure.
If successful, the 15-foot-tall Athena will join a lunar lander developed by another Texas-based company - Firefly Aerospace of Austin suburb Cedar Park - on the surface of the moon.
Athena completed an engine burn that set it on a trajectory out of lunar orbit and toward the surface, Intuitive Machines said.
Both Athena and Blue Ghost are expected to operate on the moon's near side, but the two spacecraft will be perched roughly 2,000 miles apart.
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