SpaceX rocket launches a mission to the Moon.Two privately-built lunar landers, one from the US and the other from Japan, have embarked on a journey to the Moon aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as part of a rideshare mission.
The Falcon 9 launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 01:09 local time (06:09 GMT) on Wednesday, carrying Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander from the US and ispace's Resilience lander from Japan.
Once in lunar orbit, the landers will separate and conduct their respective missions. These are part of a growing trend of commercial ventures aiming for the Moon.
Firefly's Blue Ghost lander is expected to reach the Moon in about 45 days after detaching from the rocket. Its mission includes drilling, collecting samples, and capturing X-ray images of Earth's magnetic field to support research for future human lunar missions and to study the effects of space weather on the planet.
Meanwhile, ispace's Resilience lander will take up to five months to reach the Moon's surface. Upon arrival, it will deploy a rover to explore and collect regolith, the loose surface material covering the Moon. NASA is supporting this mission, which could become its largest commercial lunar delivery to date.
Last year, Intuitive Machines became the first private company to land a spacecraft on the Moon, a milestone previously achieved only by the US, the Soviet Union, China, India, and Japan.
In a separate mission, SpaceX is preparing for the seventh orbital flight test of its Starship rocket, scheduled to launch from Texas at 16:00 local time (22:00 GMT).
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