Private company launches lunar lander Athena for exploration

A private company, Intuitive Machines, launched its lunar lander, Athena, on Wednesday, aiming for a March 6 landing near the moon's south pole. This mission follows a previous attempt where their lander tipped over upon landing. Athena will deploy a drone named Grace to explore a shadowed crater, which may contain frozen water. This mission is part of a larger trend, with multiple companies targeting the moon simultaneously. NASA is funding Intuitive Machines with $62 million for this mission, which includes various scientific experiments. Other payloads on the launch include NASA's Lunar Trailblazer satellite and a private spacecraft for asteroid exploration.