SpaceX’s rocket launches Privately Funded missions to the Moon.
Two privately-built lunar landers from the United States and Japan have departed Earth on a shared journey to the Moon, hitching a ride aboard a SpaceX rocket.
The Falcon 9 was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 01:09 local time (06:09 GMT) on Wednesday, carrying landers owned by Firefly Aerospace and ispace of Japan.
Once they reach the Moon’s orbit, these landers will separate and conduct their own independent explorations.
These missions represent a growing trend of commercial ventures heading to the Moon.
After detaching from SpaceX’s rocket, Firefly’s rover named Blue Space is expected to take approximately 45 days to arrive at its lunar destination.
At that point, it will engage in activities such as drilling for samples and capturing X-ray images of Earth’s magnetic field. The goal behind this endeavor is twofold – advancing research for future human expeditions on the Moon while also gaining insights into how space weather impacts our planet.
NASA is supporting the project, which would become its largest commercial shipment to the Moon if it succeeds.
According to SpaceX, their upcoming mission involves a spacecraft that will conduct drilling operations and collect various samples on the Moon. Additionally, it will capture X-ray images of the Earth’s magnetic field. The purpose behind these activities is twofold: advancing research for future human missions to the Moon and gaining insights into how space weather affects our planet.
On another note, Resilience lander by ispace has its own objectives during this lunar expedition. It plans to reach the surface of the Moon within a span of up to five months. Once there, it aims to deploy an exploration rover and gather loose material from the moon’s surface called regolith as part of its scientific investigation endeavors
Intuitive Machines achieved a significant milestone last year by successfully landing on the Moon, becoming the first commercial company to do so. Previously, only governmental space agencies from countries such as the US, Soviet Union, China, India and Japan had accomplished this feat.
In addition to Intuitive Machines’ achievement, SpaceX is currently preparing for its seventh orbital flight test of their Starship rocket. The launch is scheduled to take place in Texas at 16:00 local time (22:00 GMT).
