CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — SpaceX successfully launched a duo of lunar landers on Wednesday, designed for both American and Japanese enterprises eager to establish a foothold on the Moon. This marked yet another milestone in the increasing number of private space missions targeting the Moon’s surface.
The pair of landers lifted off under the cover of night from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. They shared a launch to reduce costs but separated an hour into the flight, embarking on distinct paths for their lengthy journey to the lunar surface.
This mission represents a second attempt for the Tokyo-based company ispace, which experienced a setback two years ago when its initial lander crashed upon landing on the Moon. For this mission, ispace has included a rover capable of collecting lunar soil samples and aims to explore potential sources of food and water that could aid future explorers.
Meanwhile, Texas-based Firefly Aerospace is carrying out ten experiments for NASA. These include a vacuum designed to collect lunar soil, a drill for measuring subsurface temperatures, and a gadget intended to assist future astronauts in keeping abrasive lunar dust away from their suits and tools. Firefly’s lander, dubbed Blue Ghost—named after a variety of fireflies found in the southeastern United States—is expected to mark its landing on the Moon in early March at Mare Crisium, a volcanic plain located in the northern hemisphere.
The larger ispace lander, known as Resilience, will take a more extended route, aiming to land in four to five months at Mare Frigoris, situated even farther north, targeting completion around late May or early June.
Jumpei Nozaki, ispace’s chief financial officer, expressed that the aim is not to compete in a race to the Moon but rather to advance their missions at a steady pace. Both Nozaki and Firefly’s CEO Jason Kim recognized the hurdles ahead due to the debris that exists on the Moon’s surface. Historically, only five nations have successfully landed spacecraft on the Moon since the 1960s: the former Soviet Union, the United States, China, India, and Japan.
Kim, prepared for the uncertainties, affixed a shamrock to his jacket for good fortune, confirming that they had done their utmost regarding design and engineering.
As of now, the United States remains the only nation to have sent astronauts to the lunar surface. NASA’s Artemis program, the modern extension of the Apollo missions, plans to land astronauts on the Moon by the end of this decade. In preparation for this, Nicky Fox, NASA’s science mission chief, emphasized the significance of sending both scientific research and technology ahead of the eventual crewed missions.
If the touchdowns go as planned, both space vehicles will conduct operations for two weeks in the Moon’s constant sunlight before entering a dormant state once darkness falls. The ispace rover, which weighs approximately 11 pounds, will remain close to its lander and will be capable of moving in small circles at a speed of less than an inch per second. Notably, the rover will also deliver a miniature red house created by a Swedish artist to the lunar surface.
For this mission, NASA has allocated $101 million to Firefly and an additional $44 million for the various experiments on board. While Nozaki did not disclose the financial details regarding ispace’s renewed mission, he indicated that the cost is below that of their original endeavor, which exceeded $100 million.
In addition to these missions, Houston-based Intuitive Machines is preparing to conduct its second lunar mission by the end of February, following their successful landing near the Moon’s south pole last year, which marked the first American lunar touchdown in over fifty years.
