SpaceX rocket to send Intuitive Machine's second lunar lander to the moon

Texas-based Intuitive Machines is “ready to go” with the launch of its second moon landing mission, which is expected to blast off on Wednesday.

Reuters reported that a company executive confirmed the space exploration firm is “ready to go,” with the scheduled launch of its six-legged Nova-C moon lander, Athena, on Wednesday.

Athena will launch on board a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with a launch window of 7:02 p.m. and 7:34 p.m. ET.

Intuitive Machines plans to land the lunar lander near the South Pole of the moon, close to the Shackleton Crater, where it will drill into the surface and search for water, ice and other gases.

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This week, Trent Martin, senior vice president of space systems at Intuitive Machines, said on a conference call that they were not currently facing any issues with the Nova-C, adding that it was “buttoned up and ready to go.”

The mission is part of NASA’s $2.6 billion Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. In August last year, the company was awarded a $116.9 million contract under CLPS to deliver six science and technology payloads to the lunar South Pole.

Intuitive Machines made history last year when it became the first private company to successfully land on the moon.

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The company’s lunar lander for last year’s mission, Odysseus, made it to the surface of the moon before tipping over.

The lunar lander touched the moon’s surface, and although it was believed to be on the moon, the signal being transmitted by the equipment was lost.

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After about 15 minutes, the signal returned, though faint.

“We’re not dead yet,” Mission Director Tim Crain said, telling the team the equipment was on the surface of the moon and transmitting. The condition and orientation of the equipment, though, was still unknown.

The last time an American spacecraft touched down on the moon was in 1972, during the Apollo 17 mission.

Reuters contributed to this report.