CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla.—SpaceX successfully launched two lunar landers on Wednesday for U.S. and Japanese companies aiming to establish a presence on the moon. The landers were launched from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and will take separate routes for their journey to the moon.
ispace, based in Tokyo, is attempting its second lunar landing after a previous crash. This time, they have a rover on board to collect lunar dirt and test potential resources for future missions. Firefly Aerospace from Texas is carrying out 10 experiments for NASA, including tools to gather dirt and measure subsurface temperatures.
Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander is expected to reach the moon first, followed by ispace’s Resilience lander a few months later. Both companies acknowledge the challenges of landing on the moon, given the debris from previous missions.
NASA’s Artemis program aims to return astronauts to the moon by the end of the decade. In preparation for manned missions, NASA is sending scientific instruments and technology to the moon.
ispace’s rover will explore the lunar surface near the lander, while Firefly’s experiments will help gather valuable data for future missions. The mission costs for both companies are significant, with NASA paying $101 million to Firefly and undisclosed amount to ispace.
Intuitive Machines, another company, is planning a lunar mission in February. Their previous mission successfully landed near the south pole of the moon.
By Marcia Dunn
