NASA Science Touches Down on Moon Aboard Firefly Aerospace Lander

https://www.nasa.gov/blogs/artemis/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nn202508 A new set of NASA science and technology instruments is on the way to the Moon, where they will gather data about Earth’s nearest neighbor and help pave the way for American astronauts to explore the Moon and beyond. The Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission launched at 7:16 p.m. EST on Wednesday, Feb. 26, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Once on the Moon, the instruments will test novel technologies to learn more about what lies beneath the lunar surface, explore its challenging terrain, and improve in-space communication. NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft, which launched as a rideshare with the IM-2 mission, also began its journey to lunar orbit. The mission will help scientists better understand the lunar water cycle and inform future human missions as to where supplies of water may be found and extracted as a resource.