A SpaceX Falcon 9 will launch not one, but two private missions to the Moon in January!
It was via a press release that the private Japanese company ispace announced some rather atypical news. Next January, for its second attempt to explore the lunar surface, its Hakuto-R lander will be launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
Where the unique side of the event lies is that at the top of this same launcher will also be the Blue Ghost lander from the private American company Firefly Aerospace, ready to also set foot on the regolith of the Moon. If everything goes as planned, the shooting will take place at best mid-January from Florida.
Space cofuselage
This mission therefore follows a first failed ispace test aimed at landing a spacecraft. In April 2023, the altitude sensor of the 1000 kg Hakuto-R lander was then disrupted by the edge of a crater, which led to a hard landing. The new version, called Resilience, will head towards Mare Frigoris, a large basalt plain located 60.5° north of the lunar equator. Five payloads will be on board: a water electrolyzer, an experimental food production module, a deep space radiation probe, a commemorative alloy plate and Tenacious, a 26 cm high microrover developed by the subsidiary Luxembourgish company from ispace. The latter will collect samples of lunar soil for NASA.
Takeshi Hakamada, boss and founder of ispace, declares in particular: “As organizations, companies and missions around the world set their sights on the moon, ispace will continue to build on its achievements during Mission 2 to lead the world in developing the lunar economy.” The landing, which will take its time to save propellant, is planned four to five months after the launch of the Falcon 9.
Always more eyes towards the Moon
Concerning Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost private mission, this will be a first. The objective is to send 10 scientific instruments to the surface of the Moon, still for the benefit of NASA. The landing in Mare Crisium, a basalt basin located approximately 17° north of the lunar equator, is this time planned more quickly, i.e. 45 days after takeoff.
The rest of the mission description is as follows: “Following payload operations, Blue Ghost will capture images of the lunar sunset and provide critical data on how lunar regolith responds to solar influences at lunar twilight. The lander will then operate several hours after the onset of lunar night.” So much data which will be valuable within the framework of the Artemis program of the American space agency.
