Sunday's launch will clock in as the 20th orbital rocket launch of 2025 from the Space Force installation and NASA's neighboring Kennedy Space Center.

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.

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.