Houston company readies for Moon landing
Why it matters: Private, unmanned Moon landings are ramping up ahead of NASA's plan to put humans on the lunar surface this decade.
Plus, it's one more feather in our Space City cap.
Driving the news: Intuitive Machines engineers hope the IM-2 lander — nicknamed Athena — will safely touch down near the Moon's southern pole at 11:32am CST Thursday, the company says.
The equipment was rocketed by SpaceX Falcon 9 in late February and has been orbiting the Moon since earlier this week.
Flashback: The company landed its IM-1 vehicle on the Moon in 2024, but the machine tipped over upon touchdown, cutting the mission short.
The big picture: The IM-2 will help gather critical data for NASA's Artemis missions to the Moon.
The instruments onboard are part of a NASA program that utilizes public-private partnerships to lay the foundation for a sustained human lunar presence.
How to watch: The landing will be livestreamed on NASA+ and Intuitive Machines' YouTube channel.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Digital Trends
an hour ago
- Digital Trends
How to watch SpaceX launch the mighty Starship on its 10th flight
SpaceX is close to launching its enormous Starship rocket for the 10th time. The spaceflight company recently announced that it's targeting Sunday, August 24, for the highly anticipated launch. Recommended Videos Comprising the upper stage Starship spacecraft and first-stage Super Heavy booster, the rocket will launch from SpaceX's Starbase facility in Texas. Once fully operational, NASA and SpaceX hope to use the 121-meter-tall Starship rocket for crew and cargo missions to the moon and possibly even Mars. First up, NASA wants to use a modified version of the spacecraft to return humans to the lunar surface in the Artemis III mission, which is currently set for 2027. But with testing of the Starship ongoing, that date may slip. SpaceX has designed the Starship to be a fully reusable rocket, allowing it to use both the booster and spacecraft for multiple missions, thereby saving massively on mission costs. How to watch SpaceX is targeting 6:30 p.m. (7:30 p.m. ET) on Sunday, August 24, for the 10th Starship launch from the company's Starbase facility near Boca Chica, Texas. Technical issues or adverse weather conditions could prompt SpaceX to launch later, so be sure to check back here — or SpaceX's X account — for the latest information. The launch will be livestreamed by SpaceX on its X account. What to expect Whether you're there in person or watching online, you'll witness the world's most powerful rocket climbing skyward, generating around 17 million pounds of thrust as the huge rocket leaves the launchpad. SpaceX will livestream the launch and early part of the flight, with cameras attached to both the Super Heavy booster and Starship spacecraft tracking the mission's progress. Unlike some earlier Starship flights, the Super Heavy will not be returning to the launch tower after liftoff. Instead, cameras will capture footage of both parts of the vehicle coming down in their respective splashdown sites. One more thing … SpaceX chief Elon Musk has promised to give an update on the company's plans for the Starship shortly before the 10th flight takes place. The event will likely involve Musk speaking from a stage at Starbase. We'll update here when SpaceX confirms a start time for the event.
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Could Comet 3I/Atlas Be A Threat? Here's What Experts Are Saying
On the 1st of July 2025, the Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System (ATLAS) in Chile spotted a new comet entering our solar system. This comet was named 3I/ATLAS, as it's only the third interstellar object humans observed passing through our solar system. The previous two interstellar bodies discovered were 1I/'Oumuamua (spotted in 2017), and 2I/BORISOV (detected in 2019). It seems that 3I/ATLAS is similar to 2I/BORISOV by its icy composition. Beyond that, we don't know much about the new interstellar visitor. Scientists rush to observe 3I/ATLAS and discover as much as they can, as it's predicted by its current trajectory and speed to leave our solar system by the end of the year. It will come closest to our sun in late October 2025, and the sun will melt some of its ice, which means 3I/ATLAS might get a robust comet tail composed of vapor and dust. Currently, this comet has a faint coma, the cloud of dust and gas that surrounds its nucleus. But this might change with its approach to the sun. Another interesting fact is that 3I/ATLAS will pass through Mars' orbit, and we don't know what will happen then. The fact that it was ATLAS that first discovered this comet got some people concerned. The Asteroid Terrestrial-Impact Last Alert System has a defensive nature. It's designed to spot and warn us about comets, asteroids, or other space objects that might be on a collision course with Earth. However, according to NASA, the interstellar object will most likely fly far enough from our planet without posing any danger. Read more: This Is How Most Life On Earth Will End What NASA Has To Say The ATLAS observatory in Chile is part of NASA's early warning program, spotting and defining all near-Earth objects (NEOs), especially if they're asteroids and comets that could strike our planet. ATLAS uses a network of wide-field telescopes that scan the night sky above Earth 24/7. Although designed for planetary defense against hazardous space objects, ATLAS is capable of detecting non-threatening, but scientifically interesting objects as well. The telescopes that are part of this defensive network are based in several observatories around the globe (South Africa, California, and Chile, to name a few), providing the researchers with round-the-globe coverage of the night sky. Of course, when 3I/ATLAS was first discovered, the first things determined were its trajectory and velocity. It was concluded that this comet is traveling at the speed of 137,000 miles/hour (61km/s), and the closest it will approach Earth is at 1.8 astronomical units (170 million miles, or 270 million kilometers, from Earth). NASA has ultimately concluded that 3I/ATLAS poses no threat to our planet. That said, the most interesting known fact about this interstellar visitor is its age. Following its current trajectory, scientists were able to determine 3I/ATLAS originated in a part of the Milky Way that we know is older than our solar system; meaning it's potentially older than 4.6 billion years old. It's estimated that 3I/ATLAS is around 7 billion years old, making it the oldest comet observed by humans so far. Could It Be An Alien Probe? Although very little is known about 3I/ATLAS so far, there are many interesting theories surrounding this interstellar visitor. Harvard-based astrophysicist Abraham Loeb and colleagues from the UK's Initiative for Interstellar Studies, Adam Hibbert and Adam Crowl, believe this interstellar object is not a comet at all; but an alien probe coming from afar to scan Earth and its surroundings. This is not the first time Loeb has suggested such a thing. In 2017, when Oumuamua was discovered, he claimed it was an alien probe due to its unusual shape, acceleration, reflectivity, and lack of trailing gases. Although he didn't come out with any specifics about 3I/ATLAS, Loeb warns that any interstellar object should be observed as possible alien technology. As of now, there's no evidence that 3I/ATLAS is anything but an interstellar comet passing through our solar system. It was lucky that ATLAS detected it, as it is believed millions of such objects pass near or through our system without ever being detected. Scientists such as Loeb might not be completely wrong, however. 3I/ATLAS is a unique interstellar comet, and we should pay more attention to it. Read the original article on BGR. Solve the daily Crossword
The Hill
14 hours ago
- The Hill
Critics shouldn't block NASA's nuclear path to a moon base
Sean Duffy, NASA's interim administrator, proved that the U.S. is serious about establishing a lunar base when he announced the deployment of a 100-kilowatt nuclear reactor on the moon by 2030. The idea, although a sound one, is not without its critics. The announcement that the first element of a lunar base will be a nuclear reactor was logical. Nuclear power, unlike solar, is available 24/7 and thus does not require backup batteries during periods when the sun is not available. That the reactor is first means that every other element of the lunar base can be hooked up and powered up immediately. As NPR notes, a 100-kilowatt reactor on Earth would be able to power 70 to 80 private homes in the United States, so it could power a decent-sized lunar base. It would have to withstand the extremes of heat and cold on the moon, not to mention the possibility of moonquakes and meteor strikes. Instead of water to cool it, the reactor would simply radiate the heat it creates into space. The cost would be about $3 billion. Space lawyer Michelle Hanlon describes some of the legal aspects of placing a nuclear reactor on the moon, especially in context of the space race with China. While the Outer Space Treaty prohibits claims of national sovereignty on the moon, the establishment of a nuclear reactor, especially with a lunar base attached to it, grants the nation-state that does it some measure of control over the surrounding territory. Its Article IX requires that states act 'with due regard to the corresponding interests of all other States Parties to the Treaty.' The practical effect of the Article IX provision is that the first country to establish a lunar base on the moon's south pole would be able to claim control over some prime real estate, important where ice mining is likely to be an essential enterprise. Duffy is therefore correct that the U.S. and its allies should be first with a nuclear reactor and a lunar base before China can establish its own and thus exert control. The idea of a nuclear-powered lunar base is not without its critics. For example, a CBS News host opined that colonizing the moon was akin to the colonization of native peoples on Earth by European powers. Celebrity astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson set him straight by pointing out that no native peoples exist on the moon or anywhere else in the solar system beyond Earth. The exchange elicited eyerolling on the Fox News show 'The Five.' But even there, some griping occurred. Dana Perino, who used to work for President George W. Bush, expressed considerable ennui about the whole concept of space travel. From the perspective of someone who has seen a space shuttle launch in person and watched men walk on the moon live on television, the attitude seems to be bizarre and dispiriting. Tyrus, the former wrestler turned social and political commentator, trotted out the 'let's solve problems on Earth before we go into space' trope that has been around since the beginning of the space age. The obvious answer has always been, 'Do both.' Ross Marchand, writing for Real Clear Science, noted the $37 trillion national debt and then claimed that building a lunar base would be just too expensive. He undermined his argument by comparing the 100-kilowatt lunar nuclear power plant to the 1-gigawatt reactors that exist on Earth and cost $10 billion to build (largely because of permitting and environmental regulation problems). Then he increased the estimated cost by a factor of 10 'or more.' Although NASA projects often do suffer cost overruns, $3 billion to $100 billion would be a little much, even for the space agency with its history of inefficiency. Marchand also trotted out the 'robots can explore space cheaper and better than humans' claim that was soundly debunked by the late, great lunar geologist Paul Spudis. In fact, returning to the moon and going on to Mars also polls well and has bipartisan political support, even it still has its critics. No great endeavor ever undertaken since the beginning of civilization has not had people saying it can't or shouldn't be done. The International Space Station, for example, drew fierce opposition and was almost cancelled more than once. The orbiting space laboratory is currently churning out a stream of scientific discoveries and technological innovations, confounding its early critics, who are long since forgotten. The lunar base and even Elon Musk's planned Mars colony will undergo a similar process. Future generations will find it difficult to imagine a universe where humans just occupied one world. Mark R. Whittington, who writes frequently about space policy, has published a political study of space exploration entitled ' Why is It So Hard to Go Back to the Moon? ' as well as ' The Moon, Mars and Beyond,' and, most recently,' Why is America Going Back to the Moon? ' He blogs at Curmudgeons Corner.
