SpaceX to Launch Two Private Lunar Landers in January 2025

Two private lunar landers are scheduled to embark on separate missions aboard the same SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in January 2025, according to reports. Firefly Aerospace and the Japanese company ispace will jointly utilise the rocket to deploy their respective moon landers. The rocket is expected to launch from Florida's Space Coast no earlier than mid-January. This mission marks an important milestone as it combines two distinct lunar projects into a single launch, underscoring international interest in lunar exploration.

Mission Details for Ispace's ‘Resilience'

As per a report released by ispace, the upgraded ‘Resilience' lander, part of ispace's Mission 2, is aimed at landing on Mare Frigoris, also known as the "Sea of Cold," located 60.5 degrees north of the lunar equator. This follows an earlier attempt in April 2023 by ispace's Hakuto-R lander, which failed due to an onboard sensor issue. The report further mentions that the resilience carries five payloads, including a water electrolyser, an experimental food-production module, and the microrover ‘Tenacious.' The rover is expected to collect lunar soil under a NASA contract, according to reports. Resilience will take a low-energy trajectory and is anticipated to land four to five months after launch.

Firefly's Blue Ghost Mission

Sharing the launch, Firefly Aerospace's ‘Blue Ghost' lander is set to touch down at Mare Crisium, located 17 degrees north of the lunar equator. According to Firefly's mission overview, Blue Ghost will operate for a full lunar day, equivalent to 14 Earth days, before conducting imaging tasks during lunar dusk conditions. This mission, under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services programme, will deliver ten science instruments and technology demonstrations.

Anticipation for Historic Landings

If successful, these missions will join the limited achievements of private companies in lunar landings. Intuitive Machines' Odysseus remains the sole private spacecraft to have accomplished this feat, landing earlier this year in February.