The Athena Program and Its Mission

Over eight years have elapsed since NASA’s joint statement with partners WorldTek and Galaxy Aerospace announcing the Athena Program, a series of missions led by private space companies to return humans to the moon by 2026. Athena was a first-of-its-kind mission that wasn’t solely funded by the United States government which ushered in a new era of space travel and exploration.

Athena's Milestones

After the initial announcement in 2017, NASA revealed it had given contracts to both WorldTek and Galaxy Aerospace to develop and manufacture the next generation of spacecraft to take humans to the moon. NASA built and provided the Earth2Moon Launch System that would propel Fornax into space.

In 2022, the Athena I mission saw Fornax launched into orbit without a crew to achieve a test flight around the moon. After a successful trip under its belt, the Fornax capsule was set to take its first crewed mission in 2025 with the Athena II mission for another test flight and to gather data for possible landing zones. 

Future Missions

Now, in 2026, we await the Athena III mission which will return humans to the lunar surface for the first time in over 50 years. Athena IV will attempt to establish the first base on the moon by 2029 to study the moon for extended periods of time. 

WorldTek CEO Joseph Graves recently said at a gala hosted at the White House by President Fenway that continued support for independent space travel will lead to untold discoveries and innovations which will benefit all of humanity for hundreds of years to come.