(NewsNation) — A lunar lander designed by Intuitive Machine reached the moon, but the status of the Athena lander remains unclear.
Athena does appear to have touched down but has not communicated its safety. A live stream of the landing ended before there was any confirmation of how the lander landed, whether it tipped over or how it is functioning.
The goal of the mission is to set up the first cellular network on the moon.
There may not yet be any humans on the moon to pick up the signal, but the IM-2 Athena lander, which launched in February on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, is carrying Nokia’s Lunar Surface Communication System.
The mission also includes the Micro-Nova Hopper, which will explore shadowed lunar craters and test sensors that could help identify resources like water ice.
The mission is part of NASA’s partnership with the private industry to increase the capacity for space exploration by working with industry-driven space missions.
The landing comes shortly after Blue Ghost’s successful landing on the moon.
NASA and the private industry’s focus on the moon is part of an effort to put humans back on the lunar surface for the first time in decades and work toward establishing a long-term human presence on the moon.
The ability for humans to live on the moon for extended periods is critical for launching crewed explorations deeper into our solar system, including the goal of putting humans on Mars.