CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — In a remarkable feat, SpaceX successfully launched two lunar landers on Wednesday, representing a collaborative effort between U.S. and Japanese companies eager to advance exploration and business ventures on the moon.
The launch, which took place in the early hours from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, is part of an ongoing trend of private space endeavors targeting the moon. The two landers shared the journey to help reduce costs but separated an hour after liftoff, each taking distinct paths on their lengthy voyage.
This mission marks a second attempt for Japan’s ispace, following a previous lander that unfortunately crashed on the moon two years ago. This time, the lander is equipped with a rover designed to collect lunar soil for analysis and to investigate potential resources like food and water for future explorers.
Meanwhile, Texas-based Firefly Aerospace is conducting ten experiments for NASA, which include a vacuum apparatus for soil collection, a drill to assess subsurface temperatures, and a device aimed at preventing lunar dust from adhering to spacesuits and equipment during future moonwalks.
Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander, named after a type of firefly found in the southeastern U.S., is expected to touch down on the moon first, aiming for a landing in early March at Mare Crisium, a volcanic plain located in the moon’s northern regions.
In contrast, ispace’s larger lander, known as Resilience, is scheduled to take approximately four to five months to reach its lunar destination, targeting a landing in late May or early June at Mare Frigoris, which is positioned even further north on the moon’s near side.
Takeshi Hakamada, founder and CEO of ispace, emphasized that this mission is not a race, despite others referring to it as a lunar competition.
Both Hakamada and Firefly CEO Jason Kim recognize the difficulties that lie ahead considering the debris scattered across the lunar surface. Historically, only five nations—The Soviet Union, the United States, China, India, and Japan—have successfully delivered spacecraft to the moon since the 1960s.
Kim expressed confidence in their design and engineering efforts, while also keeping a bit of superstition alive by pinning a shamrock to his jacket for luck ahead of the launch.
The United States has the distinction of being the only nation to have sent astronauts to the moon. NASA’s Artemis program, which follows in the footsteps of Apollo, is aiming for a new crewed lunar landing by the end of the decade. Prior to this, significant scientific and technological groundwork will be laid, according to NASA’s science mission chief, Nicky Fox, who spoke on the eve of the launch.
If the missions are successful, both landers will engage in operations for two weeks during continuous daylight on the moon before deactivating when darkness arrives.
Once deployed on the moon’s surface, ispace’s 11-pound rover will remain in the vicinity of its lander, moving slowly in circles at a pace of less than an inch per second. An interesting element of the mission includes the rover’s delivery of a small, red house crafted by a Swedish artist, adding a whimsical touch to the serious nature of space exploration.
For this mission, NASA is investing $101 million into Firefly, along with an additional $44 million for the associated experiments. Hakamada has kept the costs of ispace’s revived mission under wraps, revealing only that it is less expensive than their initial attempt, which exceeded $100 million.
In the coming weeks, NASA will witness another lunar venture, with Houston-based Intuitive Machines set to carry out its second moonshot by the end of February. This follows their successful U.S. lunar landing last year, which marked the first such event in over fifty years, despite the craft landing on its side near the moon’s south pole and still achieving operational status.
