February 27, 2025

The Nova-C Athena Moon lander and the Lunar Trailblazer satellite blasting off atop a Falcon 9 rocket (Image courtesy Intuitive Machines)

A few hours ago, the Nova-C Athena Moon lander blasted off atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center on Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission. After about 48 minutes, it successfully separated from the rocket’s last stage and set off on a course to the Moon, where it’s scheduled to attempt a landing on March 6. About 3 minutes later, NASA’s small Lunar Trailblazer satellite also separated from the rocket’s second stage, but its course is very different from Athena’s, so it will not reach the Moon until June.