US company Intuitive Machines is set to again make history as its Athena lander attempts a landing on the Moon today, at 9.32pm UAE time.
If successful, it will mark the company's second Moon landing after the Odysseus mission in 2024 and the second commercial lunar landing in just a few weeks.
The mission for hydrogen, known as IM-2, is part of Nasa's Commercial Lunar Payload Services programme, which contracts private companies to deliver scientific instruments and technology to the lunar surface.
“Athena continues to be in excellent health in low lunar orbit. She’s completed 24 of her 39 orbits, waiting for the Sun to rise on her Mons Mouton landing site,” the company posted on social media on Wednesday. Nasa and Intuitive Machines will broadcast the landing attempt, with the stream set to begin at 8.30pm on their websites and social media channels.
Landing near the lunar south pole
Athena will attempt to touch down in the Mons Mouton region, a plateau near the Moon’s south pole, for a 10-day mission. The landing site has been chosen because of its scientific significance, particularly the possibility of water ice deposits beneath the surface.
Water ice is considered a crucial resource for future lunar exploration, as it could be converted into oxygen for breathing, hydrogen for fuel and water for drinking.
After Intuitive Machines’ previous mission had navigation issues that led to a slightly off-target landing, the company has made improvements to ensure Athena’s descent is as precise as possible.
If the mission succeeds, it will demonstrate the increasing reliability of commercial lunar landers, with Nasa and other space agencies relying more on private companies for lunar deliveries and future deep-space missions in this modern space era.
Firefly, another American company that is part of Nasa’s CLPS programme, successfully landed its Blue Ghost lunar lander on March 2.
Scientific goals and payloads
Athena is carrying a range of payloads that will test new technology, including Nasa’s Prime-1 experiment, which involves the Trident drill and MSolo mass spectrometer. These tools will attempt to drill into the lunar surface and analyse potential water ice deposits.
One of the most highly anticipated parts of the mission is when the lander will deploy Micro-Nova, a small robotic hopper named Grace, designed to explore difficult-to-reach areas of the Moon.
Shortly after landing, the hopper will detach from Athena and make its way to a permanently shadowed crater about 500 metres from the main landing site. This crater, which has never been exposed to sunlight, is believed to contain water ice.
Micro-Nova will use its propulsion system to hop across the lunar surface, which allows it to navigate rugged terrain that traditional wheeled rovers cannot access. Once inside the crater, it will scan for hydrogen, a key indicator of water ice.
Athena is also carrying technology from other Nasa clients, including a rover by Lunar Outpost. Nokia will also be testing its first lunar cellular network.
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
THE BIO
Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
Favorite food: seafood
Favorite place to travel: Lebanon
Favorite movie: Braveheart
SPECS
Nissan 370z Nismo
Engine: 3.7-litre V6
Transmission: seven-speed automatic
Power: 363hp
Torque: 560Nm
Price: Dh184,500
ENGLAND SQUAD
Team: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Ben Te'o, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Dylan Hartley, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Joe Launchbury, 5 Maro Itoje, 6 Courtney Lawes, 7 Chris Robshaw, 8 Sam Simmonds
Replacements 16 Jamie George, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Harry Williams, 19 George Kruis, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Danny Care, 22 Jonathan Joseph, 23 Jack Nowell
How to watch Ireland v Pakistan in UAE
When: The one-off Test starts on Friday, May 11
What time: Each day’s play is scheduled to start at 2pm UAE time.
TV: The match will be broadcast on OSN Sports Cricket HD. Subscribers to the channel can also stream the action live on OSN Play.
SUE%20GRAY'S%20FINDINGS
%3Cp%3E%22Whatever%20the%20initial%20intent%2C%20what%20took%20place%20at%20many%20of%20these%20gatherings%20and%20the%3Cbr%3Eway%20in%20which%20they%20developed%20was%20not%20in%20line%20with%20Covid%20guidance%20at%20the%20time.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22Many%20of%20these%20events%20should%20not%20have%20been%20allowed%20to%20happen.%20It%20is%20also%20the%20case%20that%20some%20of%20the%3Cbr%3Emore%20junior%20civil%20servants%20believed%20that%20their%20involvement%20in%20some%20of%20these%20events%20was%20permitted%20given%20the%20attendance%20of%20senior%20leaders.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22The%20senior%20leadership%20at%20the%20centre%2C%20both%20political%20and%20official%2C%20must%20bear%20responsibility%20for%20this%20culture.%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22I%20found%20that%20some%20staff%20had%20witnessed%20or%20been%20subjected%20to%20behaviours%20at%20work%20which%20they%20had%20felt%20concerned%20about%20but%20at%20times%20felt%20unable%20to%20raise%20properly.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%22I%20was%20made%20aware%20of%20multiple%20examples%20of%20a%20lack%20of%20respect%20and%20poor%20treatment%20of%20security%20and%20cleaning%20staff.%20This%20was%20unacceptable.%22%C2%A0%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Huddersfield Town permanent signings:
- Steve Mounie (striker): signed from Montpellier for £11 million
- Tom Ince (winger): signed from Derby County for £7.7m
- Aaron Mooy (midfielder): signed from Manchester City for £7.7m
- Laurent Depoitre (striker): signed from Porto for £3.4m
- Scott Malone (defender): signed from Fulham for £3.3m
- Zanka (defender): signed from Copenhagen for £2.3m
- Elias Kachunga (winger): signed for Ingolstadt for £1.1m
- Danny WIlliams (midfielder): signed from Reading on a free transfer
