A robotic lander named Athena has made its final descent to the moon’s surface, marking the second lunar touchdown for a US company this week. But the orientation of the lander is currently unknown.

Given the on-time launch and assuming no major problems, the Athena lander is expected to descend to touchdown on a flat mesa-like structure known as Mons Mouton on March 6, setting down just 100 ...

With two separate private lunar missions on the way right now, Intuitive Machines will become the third en route with the launch of its Nova-C lander, named Athena, to the Moon on Wednesday.

Three other spacecraft also hitched a ride on the SpaceX rocket. transcript Onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is Athena, Intuitive Machine’s second moon lander, with instruments designed to dig ...

Houston-based company Intuitive Machines put its Athena spacecraft on the moon around 12:31 p.m. ET, but the lander’s exact status is currently unclear. • Mission teams believe the spacecraft ...