‘Battle-hardened’ Intuitive Machines takes its next steps toward a lunar economy

The Houston startup’s new and improved lander, Athena, is carting NASA and commercial payloads for a lunar cellular network, extreme mobility, and search for sustainable resources.

It’s been a year since Intuitive Machines (IM) made history with the first private soft landing and first American spacecraft since the Apollo program to land on the moon, after a nail-biting descent that came perilously close to failing. But this time around, they’re veterans. As they ready their second mission, IM-2, with an updated lunar lander named Athena, the vibe at the startup’s Houston headquarters is decidedly more relaxed and confident.