SpaceX launches two spacecraft to the Moon on a single rocket. Photo and video
Today, January 15, SpaceX launched two private landers to the Moon. The Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost and Resilience robotic spacecraft were launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from NASA's Kennedy Space Center (KSC) on the Florida coast.
The landers carry 10 research and technology payloads intended for further study of the lunar environment by the space agency. NASA is planning to send astronauts to the moon as part of the Artemis program soon, Space.com reports.
According to experts, today's launch is of particular interest because two vehicles from different private companies are to land on the Moon at once.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with two lunar landers enters orbit after launch.
Source: Getty
Blue Ghost carries a record cargo
Blue Ghost Lunar Lander is developed by the American company Firefly Aerospace. The device will spend 25 days in Earth orbit, undergoing system checks and launching some of its scientific payloads.
Then, according to the company, Blue Ghost will begin a four-day trek to lunar orbit, where it will stay for another 16 days before attempting to land on the northeastern part of the Moon's near side in the Mare Crisium (Sea of Crises) - a vast field of basalt lava that froze more than 3 billion years ago.
The Blue Ghost lander that flew to the Moon.
Source: Getty
Interestingly, the Firefly Aerospace lander will have about two weeks for its scientific and research operations on the lunar surface. Experts note that the payload of the solar-powered lander, 10 CLPS, is a record for a lunar cargo delivery program.
Hakuto-R's second attempt
As for the other spacecraft launched, it is Hakuto-R Mission 2, the second attempt of the Japanese company ispace to land on the Moon. The company's previous module entered lunar orbit in March 2023 but crashed during a landing attempt.
The planned stages of the Resilience mission.
Source: ispace
To guard against setbacks this time, Resilience has chosen a very energy-efficient path ad will therefore get to the satellite after Blue Ghost. If everything goes according to plan, the Japanese lander will land in the Mare Frigoris (Sea of Cold), the northern hemisphere of the Moon, in about 4.5 months.
According to scientists, one of Resilience's payloads is a microrover named Tenacious, which will be deployed on the lunar surface after a successful landing. This device is designed to collect samples of lunar soil, experts say.
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