Watch: SpaceX launches third Moon mission of 2025 with Athena lander aboard Falcon 9

SpaceX successfully launched its third Moon landing mission of 2025 on Wednesday (local time), carrying the Athena lander atop a Falcon 9 rocket. The mission, known as IM-2, is led by Intuitive Machines, marking its second attempt at a lunar touchdown after last year’s IM-1 mission.

The IM-2 lander is carrying a suite of scientific experiments, including Nasa payloads designed to explore lunar ice deposits near the Moon’s south pole. Unlike its predecessor, which landed but tipped over, the company aims for a more stable touchdown this time. If successful, IM-2 will further strengthen the role of private firms in lunar exploration, supporting Nasa's Artemis programme, which seeks to return humans to the Moon later this decade.

The Athena lander is taking a fast-track journey to the Moon, aiming for a landing on March 6. This time, Intuitive Machines hopes to avoid the fate of its predecessor, which landed but toppled due to a malfunctioning distance gauge.
Never before have so many spacecraft attempted Moon landings at once. Just last month, US and Japanese companies launched their own landers, and Texas-based Firefly Aerospace is set to arrive this weekend after getting a head start. Both US landers, including IM-2, are carrying Nasaexperiments worth tens of millions of dollars as part of preparations for future crewed missions.
“It’s an amazing time. There’s so much energy,” said Nasa's science mission chief, Nicky Fox, speaking ahead of the launch.
IM-2 is set to land 100 miles (160 km) from the lunar south pole, close to a permanently shadowed crater believed to contain frozen water. The mission’s key highlight is a drone named Grace, which will attempt multiple test hops before venturing into the crater—an estimated 65 feet (20 meters) deep. Equipped with instruments from Hungary and Germany, Grace will take crucial measurements and search for water ice, which could be a vital resource for future missions.

This is not Intuitive Machines’ first lunar mission. Last year, the Texas-based company made history as the first US entity in over 50 years to land on the Moon. However, a faulty sensor caused the IM-1 lander to descend too hard, breaking a leg and tipping onto its side.
Intuitive Machines has since fixed the issue, along with dozens of other improvements. A successful upright landing is critical, as a sideways touchdown would prevent Grace and a pair of rovers from deploying, and Nasa's drill from extracting lunar soil samples.
“Certainly, we will be better this time than we were last time. But you never know what could happen,” said Trent Martin, senior vice president of space systems at Intuitive Machines.
Landing on the Moon remains an exclusive achievement—only Russia, the US , China, India, and Japan have succeeded in lunar landings. The lunar surface is scattered with wreckage from past failed attempts, underscoring the challenge of the mission.

Nasa is paying Intuitive Machines $62 million to transport its scientific equipment to the Moon, but the company has also sold payload space to other customers. The Falcon 9 rocket carried additional passengers, including Nasa's Lunar Trailblazer satellite, which will map water deposits on the Moon over the coming months. Another private spacecraft onboard will pursue an asteroid flyby, serving as a precursor to potential asteroid mining operations.
If successful, IM-2 could mark a significant step in commercial lunar exploration, paving the way for future missions under Nasa's Artemis programme and beyond.