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 Blue Ghost lunar lander has captured a striking up-close view of Earth's cosmic neighbor as it prepares in the days ahead to land on the moon.

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.

Intuitive Machines' lunar lander is set to begin its voyage to the moon Wednesday night with a launch from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.

An Oklahoma City man's digital artwork is now on the moon for years to come. It's now part of a MoonMars Museum that hitched a ride on a private lunar lander than touched down on the moon on Sunday.

The Blue Ghost lander descended from lunar orbit on autopilot, aiming for the slopes of an ancient volcanic dome.

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander descended from lunar orbit on autopilot, aiming for the slopes of an ancient volcanic dome in an impact basin on the moon’s northeastern edge of the near side. Confirmation of touchdown came from the company's Mission Control outside Austin,

IM-2 is part of a new wave of private lunar exploration. For example, Firefly Aerospace successfully put its Blue Ghost lander down in the Mare Crisium ("Sea of Crises") region of the moon's northern hemisphere just this past Sunday (March 2).

The moon lander Athena made it to the lunar surface, but its condition was unclear as mission controllers rushed to understand its status.

Intuitive Machines’s Nova-C lander reached the moon Thursday but its orientation on the lunar surface was unknown as of Noon CST.

Intuitive Machines aimed for a gentle touchdown of its IM-2 Athena lander packed with rovers, a drone and a NASA moon drill. The company is still assessing the landing.