Rover on board
Probe to search for ice at the moon’s south pole
On Wednesday, NASA sent several instruments to search for water on the moon. The "Athena" probe from the company Intuitive Machines lifted off on board a "Falcon 9" rocket from SpaceX. It is to land at the South Pole and search for water ice with the help of drilling and a drone.
"Athena" will be on its way for around a week and will land on Mons Mouton mountain in the south polar region of the moon on March 6 at the earliest. The mission is then scheduled to last around ten days. The unmanned lander is 4.3 meters high and has a diameter of 1.6 meters. It is intended to help find raw materials and water on the Earth's satellite.
Drill, bouncer and rover on board
Among other things, "Athena" has a drill that can penetrate up to one meter below the lunar surface and a mass spectrometer that can detect volatile substances.
In addition, "Grace" is a small device that virtually hops over the moon in short flights. It will take detailed images of the surface and explore craters. "Athena" also has two rovers in its luggage that will roll over the moon: "Mapp" and the very small, only two-wheeled "Yaoki".
Company achieves first commercial moon landing in 2024
Last year, Intuitive Machines, based in Houston, Texas, achieved the first commercial moon landing in space history with its lander "Odysseus".
With "Odysseus", a US device landed on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years. During touchdown, however, the unmanned lander tipped over and became tilted. However, data could still be collected.
Landings on the moon are very challenging
Moon landings are considered to be technically extremely challenging - and often go wrong. Nevertheless, there are currently many attempts worldwide. Just a few weeks ago, two more landers were launched from the USA to Earth's satellite.
The "Blue Ghost" lander from US company Firefly Aerospace is due to arrive on Sunday, while the "Resilience" lander from Japanese start-up ispace is due to arrive in a few months' time.
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