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🇺🇸 ANOTHER PRIVATE MOON LANDING—ATHENA TOUCHES DOWN TOMORROW For the second time in five days, a private U.S. spacecraft is heading for the moon. Texas-based Intuitive Machines’ Athena lander is set to touch down Thursday at 12:32 p.m. Eastern time, aiming for Mons Mouton near the lunar south pole. Launched on February 26 aboard a @SpaceX Falcon 9, Athena will search for subsurface water ice, a potential game-changer for long-term lunar missions. The mission includes the MAPP rover, the tiny AstroAnt, and a hopping drone, Grace, to scan for ice and hydrogen. Nokia’s 4G system will also be tested for lunar communications. Athena follows Firefly Aerospace’s successful landing last Sunday, both part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which is fast-tracking private moon exploration. Moon exploration is accelerating—next up, a Japanese lander this summer. Source: NBC News