On Wednesday, January 15th, SpaceX successfully executed a unique dual moon launch mission – carrying lunar landers from the Japanese company ispace and the American company Firefly Aerospace together on the Falcon 9 rocket, initiating their respective exploration journeys.
Around 300 ispace employees, family members, and partners witnessed the Falcon 9 rocket launch on Wednesday. Approximately an hour after the launch, Firefly Aerospace’s “Blue Ghost” lunar lander successfully separated. 30 minutes later, ispace’s “Resilience” lunar lander completed the release process.
Takeshi Hakamada, CEO of ispace, stated, “Landing on the moon is no longer a dream but a reality, and this success is a major step for ispace.”
Global interest in the moon is growing, as it is seen not only as a potential site for astronaut bases but also for resource extraction, becoming a stage for a country’s global prestige and geopolitical competition.
Last year, under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program executed by Houston-based Intuitive Machines, a lunar mission had flaws, but Intuitive Machines became the first private company to successfully land on the moon. Astrobotic Technology’s “Peregrine” lunar mission, however, was unsuccessful.
The “Hakuto-R Mission 2” launched by ispace is their second lunar attempt. In April 2023, ispace’s first lunar attempt failed due to a calculation error.
Following the successful launch on Wednesday, the “Resilience” lander executing this mission carries customer missions worth $16 million, including six payloads, with one being a “Micro Rover” that will be deployed from the lander to collect lunar samples.
Jumpei Nozaki, Managing Director of Operations at ispace, stated that “Resilience” is expected to land on the moon in May or June, utilizing a cost-effective orbit, adjusting its trajectory through a series of lunar flybys using Earth and moon gravity. This is similar to the successful SLIM program achieved by the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) last year.
The “Blue Ghost” from Firefly Aerospace in Texas marks the company’s first lunar mission, part of NASA’s CLPS program. The lander carries 10 payloads funded by NASA customers and Honeybee Robotics, scheduled to reach the moon approximately 45 days after launch, around March 2nd.
The missions of “Resilience” and “Blue Ghost” are planned to last for one lunar day (about two weeks), as the lunar landers cannot withstand the extreme cold of up to -128 degrees Celsius during the lunar night.
NASA’s Artemis program aims to send humans back to the moon as early as 2027 (subject to delays), marking the first time since 1972. CLPS missions like “Blue Ghost” are focused on lunar surface research before landing and encouraging private participation.
However, with Donald Trump set to take office, NASA’s moon program may face adjustments. Nicky Fox, head of NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, told Reuters, “Regardless of future changes, NASA’s scientific exploration will continuously bring amazing discoveries.”
(This article referenced reports from Reuters)