SpaceX has launched two private lunar landers, Blue Ghost and Resilience, on a mission to the moon. The launch, which took place on January 15 at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, marks the first time that two private spacecraft have been sent to the lunar surface.
The Falcon 9 rocket carrying Blue Ghost lifted off at 1:11 am EST and successfully landed its first stage on SpaceX’s droneship shortly after liftoff. The second stage then continued onward, delivering Blue Ghost to a lunar transfer orbit about 65 minutes later. Resilience followed suit, deploying 27 minutes after launch.
Blue Ghost is carrying 10 NASA research payloads designed to study the lunar environment and further the agency’s plans for returning astronauts to the moon as part of the Artemis Program. The lander will spend 25 days in Earth orbit before embarking on a four-day journey to lunar orbit, where it will stay for an additional 16 days.
Resilience is taking a more energy-efficient approach, with a planned landing date in late April or early May. One of its payloads is a microrover named Tenacious, which will collect a sample of regolith as part of a separate NASA contract.
This launch marks the start of a busy year for lunar missions, with several companies vying to send spacecraft to the moon’s surface. Intuitive Machines and Astrobotic are also scheduled to launch their IM-2 and Griffin Mission One missions later this year, respectively.
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/spacex-launches-2-private-lunar-landers-to-the-moon-photos