As private missions to the Moon gain momentum, two lunar landers built by US and Japanese companies embark on separate journeys to the lunar frontier via SpaceX.
Private Missions to the Moon Gain Momentum
Two lunar landers, built by private companies in the US and Japan, have successfully left Earth aboard a SpaceX rocket as part of a rideshare mission to the Moon. The Falcon 9 rocket took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 01:09 local time (06:09 GMT) on Wednesday, carrying landers belonging to America’s Firefly Aerospace and Japan’s ispace.
Lunar Landers Embark on Separate Journeys
The landers will eventually separate once they reach the Moon’s orbit and conduct independent explorations. Firefly’s rover, Blue Ghost, is expected to take about 45 days to reach the Moon, during which time it will drill, collect samples, and take X-ray images of the Earth’s magnetic field. These findings are crucial for advancing research on future human missions to the Moon and providing insights into how space weather impacts the planet.
In contrast, ispace‘s Resilience lander will take up to five months to reach the Moon‘s surface, where it will deploy a rover for exploration and attempt to scoop up loose surface material known as regolith. This endeavour has received backing from NASA, which would make it its largest commercial delivery to the Moon to date.
A Growing Commercial Presence in Space Exploration
This mission is part of a growing number of commercial ventures aimed at exploring the Moon. Intuitive Machines became the first commercial outfit to put a lander on the Moon last year, a feat previously accomplished only by governments and space agencies. The increasing presence of private companies in lunar exploration highlights the potential for collaboration between government agencies and private enterprise in advancing our understanding of space.
Simultaneous Orbital Flight Test
Separately, SpaceX is conducting its seventh orbital flight test of its Starship rocket, set to take off from Texas at 16:00 local time (22:00 GMT). This marks an important step forward for the development of reusable rockets and will likely pave the way for future lunar missions.
