To the Moon!

Kennedy Space Center, FL. – At 1:11 AM EST, a Falcon 9 rocket came to life sending two lunar landers on a rideshare trip towards the Moon while that same near full Moon hung brightly in the night sky. Lifting off from LC-39-A, this is the same launch pad that was used to launch the Apollo 17 astronauts to the Moon over 50 years ago in 1972.

Image Credit:  Firefly Aerospace

The two landers, one called “Blue Ghost” built by Firefly Aerospace and the second called “Resilience” built by Tokyo based ISPACE are on a separate journey to study our closest celestial neighbor for future lunar missions including the next astronauts to the Moon.

Image Credit:  ISPACE

The Blue Ghost lander is supporting 10 NASA science payloads and is looking towards a March 2, 2025 landing while Resilience is supporting 5 science payloads and will take a little longer for its journey to a landing on the lunar surface.

In a statement from NASA: “This mission embodies the bold spirit of NASA’s Artemis campaign – a campaign driven by scientific exploration and discovery,” said NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “Each flight we’re part of is vital step in the larger blueprint to establish a responsible, sustained human presence at the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Each scientific instrument and technology demonstration brings us closer to realizing our vision. Congratulations to the NASA, Firefly, and SpaceX teams on this successful launch.”

The Moon has been a wonder in our skies and the inspiration for poems, songs and dreams since the dawn of time.

Story By: Michael Howard and We Report Space Image: Michael Seeley