US space agency NASA was all set for a landing on the moon’s south pole on Thursday. This mission will join the growing fleet of spacecraft missions, including from India, mapping the lunar surface, searching for water, and conducting scientific experiments.

Athena, the moon lander developed by Houston-based private company Intuitive Machines, will attempt to land near the Mons Mouton landing site on the moon’s South Pole. The site is distinct from the ‘Shiv Shakti’ touchdown site of ISRO’s Chandrayaan- 3 spacecraft, which marked a significant milestone as India became, on August 2023, the first country to land on the Moon’s South Pole. Athena had entered the lunar orbit earlier this week after being launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on February 26, 2025.