Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander achieved a historic milestone as the first successful commercial landing on the moon. Following this, Intuitive Machines is set to launch its Athena mission, which aims to land in a crucial area on the Moon's South Pole. This mission is part of NASA's CLPS initiative, utilizing private companies for lunar payload delivery. The mission will also conduct the first sale of lunar resources and gather vital data to enhance lunar exploration, with innovative technologies including 4G antennas and autonomous robotic systems for monitoring.
Athena is "slated to land in Mons Mouton, a lunar plateau near the Moon's South Pole, as part of NASA's CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign to establish a long-term lunar presence."
Intuitive Machines' second lunar mission is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, which allows the agency to hire private space companies to deliver its lunar instruments.
The rover will deploy Nokia's 4G/LTE antennas to establish connection on the Moon.
Lunar Outpost noted that the Mobile Autonomous Prospecting Platform rover is on a mission to explore the uncharted territory of the Moon's South Pole - "a region critical to future lunar infrastructure and sustainability."
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