NASA Sends a New Module to the Moon
Technology
On February 26, as part of the IM-2 mission conducted by the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the Nova-C – Athena landing module was launched toward the Moon. The Falcon 9 rocket, owned by SpaceX, a company founded by Donald Trump’s ally Elon Musk, carried the module into orbit.
It is expected that Athena will land on the Mons Mouton plateau, near the Moon's south pole, on March 6. The module will conduct scientific research and test technologies necessary for preparing future manned missions.
The NASA mission is being implemented under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, aimed at commercial cargo deliveries to the Moon, and is scheduled to last 10 days.
The Athena unmanned module is 4.3 meters high and 1.6 meters in diameter. It is designed to search for minerals and water on the Moon. The module is equipped with a Trident drill, capable of penetrating up to 1 meter below the lunar surface. Additionally, it carries a mass spectrometer, which can detect volatile substances.
The module also includes a "hopping" drone called Grace, capable of traversing the Moon’s rugged terrain, including slopes, boulders, and craters. The drone will be used for detailed surface imaging and crater exploration.
Furthermore, Athena is equipped with two rovers: Mapp and a small, two-wheeled rover called Yaoki. The module also carries a mobile communication base station, developed by Nokia.
The IM-2 mission involves various companies and organizations, including the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
In 2024, the Houston, Texas-based company Intuitive Machines successfully completed the first-ever commercial lunar landing. The Odysseus lander successfully reached the Moon’s surface, though it tipped over upon landing, causing its photo and video transmissions to be slightly misaligned. The module carried five NASA scientific research instruments to the Moon.
In January 2024, a similar mission by Astrobotic Technology ended in failure.
Russia also attempted to participate in the lunar race. However, in August 2023, its Luna-25 automatic interplanetary station collided with the lunar surface and, according to Roscosmos, "ceased to exist."
The NASA mission is being implemented under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, aimed at commercial cargo deliveries to the Moon, and is scheduled to last 10 days.
The Athena unmanned module is 4.3 meters high and 1.6 meters in diameter. It is designed to search for minerals and water on the Moon. The module is equipped with a Trident drill, capable of penetrating up to 1 meter below the lunar surface. Additionally, it carries a mass spectrometer, which can detect volatile substances.
The module also includes a "hopping" drone called Grace, capable of traversing the Moon’s rugged terrain, including slopes, boulders, and craters. The drone will be used for detailed surface imaging and crater exploration.
Furthermore, Athena is equipped with two rovers: Mapp and a small, two-wheeled rover called Yaoki. The module also carries a mobile communication base station, developed by Nokia.
The IM-2 mission involves various companies and organizations, including the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
In 2024, the Houston, Texas-based company Intuitive Machines successfully completed the first-ever commercial lunar landing. The Odysseus lander successfully reached the Moon’s surface, though it tipped over upon landing, causing its photo and video transmissions to be slightly misaligned. The module carried five NASA scientific research instruments to the Moon.
In January 2024, a similar mission by Astrobotic Technology ended in failure.
Russia also attempted to participate in the lunar race. However, in August 2023, its Luna-25 automatic interplanetary station collided with the lunar surface and, according to Roscosmos, "ceased to exist."
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