• A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is heading to the moon after launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, carrying the Athena lunar lander and Lunar Trailblazer orbiter. The mission’s goal is to find lunar water and determine if there is enough of it to support eventual human habitation in space.
• Athena will attempt a landing near the moon’s south pole to search for water ice, while Lunar Trailblazer will map water deposits from orbit.
• NASA increased funding from $47 million to $62.5 million to support additional data collection, aiming to inform future lunar exploration and potential human missions.

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A new lunar mission is currently underway, with a goal of finding water on the moon. On Wednesday, Feb. 26, a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, carrying the Athena lunar lander and NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer orbiter.

“I’m very excited to see the science that our tech demonstrations deliver as we prepare for humanity’s return to the moon,” Nicky Fox, associate administrator of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, said.

How long will the mission take?

The lander is expected to reach lunar orbit in four to five days, with a landing attempt planned one to three days later. If successful, Athena will operate near the Moon’s south pole for approximately 10 Earth days.

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This mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which partners with private companies to deliver science and technology payloads to the lunar surface.

How does the mission aim to accomplish its goals?

Once on the surface, Athena will use NASA science instruments to search for water ice beneath the lunar surface. The mission aims to determine whether there is enough water to support potential future human habitation in space. Two secondary vehicles will also be deployed to explore the surrounding terrain.

Meanwhile, NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer will operate from lunar orbit, mapping water ice deposits across the Moon. NASA originally allocated $47 million for these efforts but later increased the total to $62.5 million to support additional data acquisition.

What happens next?

As the mission progresses, scientists and engineers will analyze data from Athena and Lunar Trailblazer to guide future lunar exploration initiatives, including potential human missions to the moon.