Intuitive Machines' Athena lunar lander, launched aboard SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket. The IM-2 mission lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:16 p.m. ET, February 26,

The IM-2 mission lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 7:16 p.m. ET, February 26, 2025. Athena reached her intended orbit approximately 44 minutes later and established first communication at approximately 8:17 p.m. ET.

Key Takeaways Shares of Intuitive Machines rose Thursday after the company's lunar lander took off on a SpaceX rocket Wednesday night.The Athena lander will touch down on the moon in the coming days as the second mission in NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program.

Space exploration stock Intuitive Machines (NASDAQ:LUNR) is heading for the moon after it said its second lunar launch was ready to take off. The only private company to have ever touched down on the Moon’s surface,

Intuitive Machines was set on Wednesday for the launch of its second moon lander, aiming to make the latest private U.S. moonshot one year after the space company's first lunar mission ended early with a lopsided landing.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched from NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida, carrying the Intuitive Machines' lunar lander spacecraft Athena. The lander is targeted to land in the moon's south polar region.