"We can confirm Athena is on the surface of the moon," Josh Marshall, Intuitive Machines' communications director, said during the landing webcast today. "The team is going throuh

The lunar lander built by aerospace company Intuitive Machines launched Wednesday on an eight-day journey for its water-hunting mission on the moon.

The Intuitive Machines Athena lander appears to have touched down on the moon's surface, but the landing didn't go smoothly.The Latest Tech News, Delivered to Your Inbox

Intuitive Machines said on Thursday that its robotic Athena lander has landed on the moon's surface but details of the spacecraft's status and health remained unclear, a tense moment in the company's second such attempt.

The Houston-based company is poised to land its Athena spacecraft on the moon at 12:30 p.m. ET. The landing site closer to the lunar south pole than any human or vehicle has traveled before.

The destination is Mons Mouton, one of NASA 's potential landing locations for its Artemis astronauts. Intuitive Machines ' Athena moon lander began circling the moon on March 3, just one day after a competitor, Firefly Aerospace, landed on the lunar surface without a hitch.

A lunar lander built by Intuitive Machines is scheduled to descend to the moon’s surface today, potentially marking the second landing by a private company on the moon in the last week, roughly a year after the aerospace firm completed the first lunar landing by an American spacecraft in decades.

12:53 EST Intuitive Machines (LUNR) ends livestream, shares down 11% to $12.52 See what stocks are receiving Strong Buy ratings from top-rated analysts. Filter, analyze, and streamline your search for investment opportunities with TipRanks’ Stock Screener.