** Space exploration firm Intuitive Machines LUNR.O gains 4.7% to $17.34 premarket
** LUNR launched its second moon lander on a SpaceX rocket on Wednesday, setting off for the latest private U.S. moonshot one year after a lopsided landing
** After lift-off, Intuitive Machines' Athena lander became the third spacecraft actively heading for the moon's surface
** Athena will attempt to land on Mons Mouton, a flat-topped mountain some 100 miles from the lunar south pole, on March 6
** LUNR gained about 610.8% in 2024
(Reporting by Sanchayaita Roy in Bengaluru)
((sanchayaita.roy@thomsonreuters.com))