Produced by: Manoj Kumar
Two private moon landers, Resilience and Blue Ghost, will hitch a ride on the same SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in January 2025, marking a rare and bold collaboration in commercial lunar exploration.
Japan’s ispace is making a renewed attempt to land on the moon with its upgraded Mission 2 lander, Resilience, after its first mission ended in failure last year due to a miscalibrated altitude sensor.
Resilience will carry five cutting-edge payloads, including a microrover named Tenacious, a water electrolyzer, and a radiation probe, highlighting ispace’s commitment to advancing lunar technologies.
Ispace CEO Takeshi Hakamada envisions a future driven by lunar resources, stating that Mission 2 will capitalize on achievements to lead in the burgeoning lunar economy. “See you on the moon,” he declared.
The first Resilience mission failed after its altitude sensor was confused by a crater rim. This new mission aims to avoid past pitfalls with upgrades and a more efficient, low-energy trajectory to Mare Frigoris.
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost, on its maiden mission, will deploy 10 NASA instruments to the moon’s Mare Crisium, including experiments to study lunar regolith behavior under solar influence.
Blue Ghost will separate from the Falcon 9 rocket first, reaching lunar orbit 45 days after launch and landing at Mare Crisium, preceding Resilience’s touchdown on Mare Frigoris.
Ispace’s Tenacious rover will collect lunar soil under a contract with NASA, marking a significant collaboration between private companies and governmental space exploration efforts.
With only one private spacecraft, Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus, having landed safely on the moon to date, success for either Resilience or Blue Ghost would solidify commercial lunar ventures.