Two private lunar lander missions are set to launch next week, marking a significant step towards establishing human habitation on the Moon. The Blue Ghost lunar lander from Firefly Aerospace and the Resilience spacecraft from iSpace will take off on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
The launch is scheduled for 1:11 am EST (6:11am GMT) on January 15, with the Falcon 9 rocket ejecting the Blue Ghost lander into Earth’s orbit. The lander will then perform an engine burn to put it on a straight path to the Moon before orbiting the lunar surface for 16 days.
Onboard the Blue Ghost, NASA has installed 10 science experiments, including one that requires collecting Moon dust to measure radiation on the lunar surface. Another experiment aims to observe Earth’s magnetic field and how it interacts with solar wind. If successful, this mission will be the second private spacecraft to land on the lunar surface since iSpace’s Hakuto-R lander in April 2023.
The Resilience lander is carrying a micro-rover named Tenacious, which will gather lunar soil for potential resale back to NASA. The lander also features a self-contained module designed for experiments in lunar food production.
Both missions are part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and have only 14 days to conduct their tasks before lunar night falls. With the Moon’s surface temperatures varying wildly, from scorching hot to extremely cold, the challenges faced by these landers will be significant.
NASA’s Hyunju Connor expressed optimism about the success of this mission, stating that they expect to see a “breathing out and breathing in” effect in Earth’s magnetic field as it interacts with solar wind. With the launch of these two missions, humanity is one step closer to establishing a sustainable presence on the Moon.
Source: https://www.thesun.co.uk/tech/32701177/spacex-lunar-lander-launch-moon-human-habitation