A Jumping Lunar Robot Is About to Explore a Pitch-Black Moon Crater for the First Time

The IM-2 mission, from Texas -based company Intuitive Machines , is scheduled to launch on Wednesday, February 26 .

It is funded by a NASA program called Commercial Lunar Payload Services .

The mission will attempt to land on the moon’s south pole, a region of arguably of greater scientific interest.

Scientists think there might be ice trapped at the moon's poles.

IM-2 will deploy several vehicles on the surface of the moon after landing.

One is a cylindrical vehicle the size of a shampoo bottle that will take images of the surface around the lander.

Another is a tiny ant-like robot designed by the Massachusetts Institute of Technology that will crawl over the top of the rover.

The team is targeting a small crater about 200 meters from the landing site known simply as “H.”.

Columbia Sportswear has provided two fabric-like covers for the IM-2 mission based on its clothing brands.

There is another left-field instrument on board too—a space-hardened data-storage device built by the Florida -based company Lonestar Data Holdings .