SpaceX launches two lunar landers this week, starting a busy year for moon missions

Two private lunar landers are set to launch this week aboard a single rocket, marking the start of a busy year for lunar exploration.

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch early Wednesday morning (Jan. 15) at 1:11 a.m. EST (0611 GMT) from Launch Complex-39B at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The six-day launch window opens on this day. The rocket will carry two lunar landers, each embarking on its own trajectory to the moon.

Mission Details:

1. Blue Ghost Mission 1 (Firefly Aerospace):
   • This mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, aiming to deliver scientific payloads to the moon.
   • After 25 days orbiting Earth, Blue Ghost will fire its engine to set course for the moon. It will spend another 20 days reaching its target destination, Mare Crisium (Sea of Crises).
   • Once landed, the mission will conduct two weeks of scientific research before ending with a photo of the lunar sunset as its batteries deplete.
2. Hakuto-R Mission 2 (ispace):
   • This Japan-based mission is a follow-up to its first attempt, which reached lunar orbit but failed to land in 2023.
   • The Resilience lander is designed with upgrades and will take a slower trajectory, aiming for a landing in Mare Frigoris (Sea of Cold) in four to five months.
   • Post-landing, it will deploy a microrover named Tenacious, which will collect lunar regolith under a contract with NASA.

Upcoming Lunar Missions:

• Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C Landers:
  • The Nova-C lander Odysseus successfully landed near the lunar south pole in February 2024. Its follow-up mission, IM-2, is scheduled for February 2025, targeting Shackleton Crater to search for water ice.
  • A third mission, IM-3, is planned for late 2025.
• Astrobotic’s Griffin Mission One:
  • This mission aims to deploy CLPS payloads, despite challenges faced by the company’s previous Peregrine lander.

NASA’s Artemis Program:

These CLPS missions support NASA’s Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon by 2027 and establish a lunar base in the south polar region. Human Landing Services (HLS) contracts have been awarded to SpaceX and Blue Origin:

• SpaceX’s Starship is set to conduct multiple test flights in 2025.
• Blue Origin’s Blue Moon lander will begin missions after Artemis 3, with its MK1 Lunar Lander pathfinder mission potentially launching in 2025 following the successful debut of the New Glenn rocket on Jan. 12.

This flurry of activity underscores the renewed global interest in lunar exploration and the technological advancements driving humanity closer to a sustained presence on the moon.