SpaceX Launches First Dual Lunar Lander Mission

Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost and Japan's ispace Resilience landers embark on historic journeys to the Moon, advancing commercial space exploration.

The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket successfully launched Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost and ispace's Resilience lunar landers from Kennedy Space Center on January 15, 2025.
Blue Ghost, carrying 10 NASA payloads, is expected to land at Mare Crisium in early March after a 45-day journey, focusing on lunar dust, subsurface drilling, and radiation studies.
Resilience, ispace's second attempt following a 2023 crash, will take four to five months to reach Mare Frigoris, where it will deploy the Tenacious rover for soil sampling and other experiments.
The dual launch reduced costs for both companies and marks the first time two lunar landers have shared a single rocket ride to space.
These missions are part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which aims to support the Artemis initiative by advancing lunar science and technology development.