HOPPING DRONE
Blue Ghost’s arrival will be followed on March 6 by Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission, featuring its lander, Athena.
Last year, Intuitive Machines made history as the first private company to achieve a soft landing on the Moon, though the moment was tempered by a mishap.
Coming down too fast, one of the lander’s feet caught on the lunar surface, tipping it over and causing it to rest sideways – limiting its ability to generate solar power and cutting the mission short.
This time, the company says it has made key improvements to the hexagonal-shaped lander, which has a taller, slimmer profile than Blue Ghost, and is around the height of an adult giraffe.
Athena launched on Wednesday aboard a SpaceX rocket, taking a more direct route toward Mons Mouton – the southernmost lunar landing site ever attempted.
