• Education
    • Higher Education
    • Scholarships & Grants
    • Online Learning
    • School Reforms
    • Research & Innovation
  • Lifestyle
    • Travel
    • Food & Drink
    • Fashion & Beauty
    • Home & Living
    • Relationships & Family
  • Technology & Startups
    • Software & Apps
    • Startup Success Stories
    • Startups & Innovations
    • Tech Regulations
    • Venture Capital
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • Cybersecurity
    • Emerging Technologies
    • Gadgets & Devices
    • Industry Analysis
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
Today Headline
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • World News
    • Us & Canada
    • Europe
    • Asia
    • Africa
    • Middle East
  • Politics
    • Elections
    • Political Parties
    • Government Policies
    • International Relations
    • Legislative News
  • Business & Finance
    • Market Trends
    • Stock Market
    • Entrepreneurship
    • Corporate News
    • Economic Policies
  • Science & Environment
    • Space Exploration
    • Climate Change
    • Wildlife & Conservation
    • Environmental Policies
    • Medical Research
  • Health
    • Public Health
    • Mental Health
    • Medical Breakthroughs
    • Fitness & Nutrition
    • Pandemic Updates
  • Sports
    • Football
    • Basketball
    • Tennis
    • Olympics
    • Motorsport
  • Entertainment
    • Movies
    • Music
    • TV & Streaming
    • Celebrity News
    • Awards & Festivals
  • Crime & Justice
    • Court Cases
    • Cybercrime
    • Policing
    • Criminal Investigations
    • Legal Reforms
No Result
View All Result
Today Headline
No Result
View All Result
Home Science & Environment Space Exploration

Private Athena moon lander beams home gorgeous views of Earth from space (photos)

February 27, 2025
in Space Exploration
Reading Time: 3 mins read
A A
0
selfie showing part of a golden spacecraft, with half of earth in the background
7
SHARES
15
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter


A newly launched lunar lander just captured some stunning shots of its home planet.

Athena, the second moon lander from Houston-based company Intuitive Machines, launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Florida’s Space Coast on Wednesday evening (Feb. 26).

Shortly after deploying into the final frontier, Athena snapped a few selfies with Earth in the background, including one that shows the Falcon 9’s upper stage drifting in the void beneath the lander. (Bright specks visible near the rocket stage may be some of the other payloads that launched with Athena, such as NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer orbiter and Odin, a probe built by the asteroid-mining company Astroforge.)

Athena is scheduled to land on the moon on March 6. (Image credit: Intuitive Machines)

As those photos suggest, all is going well so far with Athena’s mission, which is called IM-2.

Related: SpaceX rocket launches private moon lander and NASA ‘trailblazer’ to hunt for lunar water (video)

“Athena established a stable attitude, solar charging and radio communications contact with the Company’s mission operations center in Houston after liftoff on February 26,” Intuitive Machines wrote in an update this morning (Feb. 27).

“The lander is in excellent health and preparing for a series of planned main engine firings to refine her trajectory ahead of lunar orbit insertion, which is planned for March 3. Intuitive Machines expects a lunar landing opportunity on March 6.”

Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!

IM-2 is flying via NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which puts agency science and technology instruments on private moon landers. The goal is to gather a wealth of cost-efficient lunar data ahead of the arrival of Artemis astronauts a few years from now.

Athena’s chief payload is PRIME-1 (“Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment 1”), which consists of a deep-digging drill and a mass spectrometer. Together, this gear will help scientists assess the abundance and accessibility of water ice at Athena’s landing site near the lunar south pole.

Athena is also carrying Grace, a novel hopping spacecraft built by Intuitive Machines that will explore a crater near the landing site, and MAPP, a small rover from the Colorado company Lunar Outpost. These three robots will stay in touch thanks to another IM-2 payload, Nokia’s Lunar Surface Communication System, which will establish the first-ever 4G/LTE network on the moon.

Intuitive Machines’ first lunar lander, Odysseus, touched down successfully on the moon in February 2024, becoming the first private craft ever to do so. But Athena won’t be the second to pull off the feat, if all goes according to plan.

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander is gearing up for its own touchdown attempt, which will take place in the early hours of March 2. Blue Ghost launched on Jan. 15 along with Resilience, a lunar lander built by Tokyo-based company ispace, which will try try to touch down in late May or early June.

Previous Post

Understanding what a renal cell carcinoma diagnosis means

Next Post

We now know how much global warming has delayed the next ice age todayheadline

Related Posts

A white sphere sits on a black legged stand on top of a white surface with black buttons on one side of the sphere.

Sega Toys Homestar Classic star projector review

June 7, 2025
6
Still from the video game Everspace – Stellar Edition. A spaceship is flying through the broken debris of a satellite and some asteroids.

Best space & sci-fi games on Nintendo Switch 2025: Metroid Prime, Citizen Sleeper, No Man’s Sky, & more

June 7, 2025
7
Next Post
We now know how much global warming has delayed the next ice age

We now know how much global warming has delayed the next ice age todayheadline

  • Trending
  • Comments
  • Latest
Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

Family calls for change after B.C. nurse dies by suicide after attacks on the job

April 2, 2025
Pioneering 3D printing project shares successes

Product reduces TPH levels to non-hazardous status

November 27, 2024

Hospital Mergers Fail to Deliver Better Care or Lower Costs, Study Finds todayheadline

December 31, 2024

Police ID man who died after Corso Italia fight

December 23, 2024
Harris tells supporters 'never give up' and urges peaceful transfer of power

Harris tells supporters ‘never give up’ and urges peaceful transfer of power

0
Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend's Mother

Des Moines Man Accused Of Shooting Ex-Girlfriend’s Mother

0

Trump ‘looks forward’ to White House meeting with Biden

0
Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

Catholic voters were critical to Donald Trump’s blowout victory: ‘Harris snubbed us’

0
Poch: New-look USMNT must 'fight for place' at WC

Poch: New-look USMNT must ‘fight for place’ at WC

June 7, 2025
Walmart is selling a 'sturdy' $225 6-drawer dresser for just $170, and shoppers say it 'can store a lot'

Walmart is selling a 'sturdy' $225 6-drawer dresser for just $170, and shoppers say it 'can store a lot' todayheadline

June 7, 2025
ET logo

Musk Stephen Miller feud: After Trump and Bannon, Musk’s friendship with Stephen Miller turns nasty as the Tesla CEO walks away with his wife todayheadline

June 7, 2025

How Medical Marijuana Can Help With Leg Injuries

June 7, 2025

Recent News

Poch: New-look USMNT must 'fight for place' at WC

Poch: New-look USMNT must ‘fight for place’ at WC

June 7, 2025
0
Walmart is selling a 'sturdy' $225 6-drawer dresser for just $170, and shoppers say it 'can store a lot'

Walmart is selling a 'sturdy' $225 6-drawer dresser for just $170, and shoppers say it 'can store a lot' todayheadline

June 7, 2025
5
ET logo

Musk Stephen Miller feud: After Trump and Bannon, Musk’s friendship with Stephen Miller turns nasty as the Tesla CEO walks away with his wife todayheadline

June 7, 2025
5

How Medical Marijuana Can Help With Leg Injuries

June 7, 2025
7

TodayHeadline is a dynamic news website dedicated to delivering up-to-date and comprehensive news coverage from around the globe.

Follow Us

Browse by Category

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Basketball
  • Business & Finance
  • Climate Change
  • Crime & Justice
  • Cybersecurity
  • Economic Policies
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Environmental Policies
  • Europe
  • Football
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Health
  • Medical Research
  • Mental Health
  • Middle East
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Politics
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Science & Environment
  • Software & Apps
  • Space Exploration
  • Sports
  • Stock Market
  • Technology & Startups
  • Tennis
  • Travel
  • Uncategorized
  • Us & Canada
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • World News

Recent News

Poch: New-look USMNT must 'fight for place' at WC

Poch: New-look USMNT must ‘fight for place’ at WC

June 7, 2025
Walmart is selling a 'sturdy' $225 6-drawer dresser for just $170, and shoppers say it 'can store a lot'

Walmart is selling a 'sturdy' $225 6-drawer dresser for just $170, and shoppers say it 'can store a lot' todayheadline

June 7, 2025
  • Education
  • Lifestyle
  • Technology & Startups
  • About us
  • Contact
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy

© 2024 Todayheadline.co

Welcome Back!

OR

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Business & Finance
  • Corporate News
  • Economic Policies
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Market Trends
  • Crime & Justice
  • Court Cases
  • Criminal Investigations
  • Cybercrime
  • Legal Reforms
  • Policing
  • Education
  • Higher Education
  • Online Learning
  • Entertainment
  • Awards & Festivals
  • Celebrity News
  • Movies
  • Music
  • Health
  • Fitness & Nutrition
  • Medical Breakthroughs
  • Mental Health
  • Pandemic Updates
  • Lifestyle
  • Fashion & Beauty
  • Food & Drink
  • Home & Living
  • Politics
  • Elections
  • Government Policies
  • International Relations
  • Legislative News
  • Political Parties
  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Middle East
  • Artificial Intelligence
  • Cybersecurity
  • Emerging Technologies
  • Gadgets & Devices
  • Industry Analysis
  • Basketball
  • Football
  • Motorsport
  • Olympics
  • Climate Change
  • Environmental Policies
  • Medical Research
  • Science & Environment
  • Space Exploration
  • Wildlife & Conservation
  • Sports
  • Tennis
  • Technology & Startups
  • Software & Apps
  • Startup Success Stories
  • Startups & Innovations
  • Tech Regulations
  • Venture Capital
  • Uncategorized
  • World News
  • Us & Canada
  • Public Health
  • Relationships & Family
  • Travel
  • Research & Innovation
  • Scholarships & Grants
  • School Reforms
  • Stock Market
  • TV & Streaming
  • Advertise with Us
  • Privacy & Policy
  • About us
  • Contact

© 2024 Todayheadline.co