WASHINGTON, Jan 15, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - One rocket, two missions: Lunar 
landers built by US and Japanese companies are poised to "rideshare" to the 
Moon, showcasing the private sector's growing role in space exploration.

SpaceX is targeting a 1:11 am (0611 GMT) Wednesday liftoff of a Falcon 9 
rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, with very favorable weather 
conditions forecast.

On board are two privately developed, uncrewed lunar landers: Firefly 
Aerospace's Blue Ghost and ispace's Resilience from Japan, which will also 
deploy a micro rover.

Both aim to build on the success of Texas-based Intuitive Machines, which 
last year became the first company to successfully touch down on Earth's 
celestial neighbor.

Until recently, soft landings on the Moon were achieved only by a handful of 
well-funded national space agencies, starting with the Soviet Union in 1966.

Now, however, several emerging US companies are attempting to replicate this 
feat under NASA's experimental Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) 
program, designed to cut costs and stimulate a lunar economy.

The US plans to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon later this 
decade under the Artemis program, leveraging commercial partners to deliver 
critical hardware at a fraction of the cost of government-led missions.

"Each milestone we complete will provide valuable data for future missions 
and ultimately keep the United States and our international partners at the 
forefront of space exploration," Firefly Aerospace CEO Jason Kim said 
Tuesday.

"Firefly is a go for launch. Let's go ghost riders in the sky!"

- Staying upright -

On the Japanese side, Tokyo-based ispace's first attempt to land on the Moon 
ended in an unsalvageable "hard landing" in April 2023.

"That's why we hope to send a message to people across Japan that it's 
important to challenge ourselves again, after enduring failure and learning 
from it," ispace founder and CEO Takeshi Hakamada said last week.

Blue Ghost is stacked atop Resilience inside the Falcon 9, SpaceX executive 
Julianna Scheiman said, and will be deployed first, followed by Resilience 
nearly 30 minutes later.

The two spacecraft have different timelines for reaching the Moon.

Blue Ghost aims to complete its journey in 45 days, gradually lifting its 
orbit around Earth before entering lunar orbit and touching down near Mons 
Latreille, a volcanic feature in Mare Crisium on the Moon's northeast near 
side.

"With ten NASA instruments on this flight, we're conducting scientific 
investigations... from characterizing Earth's magnetosphere to understanding 
lunar dust and the Moon's interior structure and thermal properties," NASA 
scientist Maria Banks said.

Blue Ghost also carries technology demonstrations focused on navigation and 
computing in the Moon's harsh radiation environment.

Meanwhile, Resilience will take four to five months to reach its destination 
in Mare Frigoris, on the Moon's far north.

Its payload includes scientific instruments, but the centerpiece is 
Tenacious, a micro rover developed by ispace-Europe, a Luxembourg-based 
subsidiary.

The four-wheeled robot features a high-definition camera and will attempt to 
scoop up regolith -- the Moon's loose surface material.

It also carries on its front a small red "Moonhouse" created by Swedish 
artist Mikael Genberg.

These ambitious goals hinge on achieving a successful soft landing -- a task 
fraught with challenges.

Spacecraft must navigate treacherous boulders and craters and, in the absence 
of an atmosphere to support parachutes, rely entirely on thrusters for a 
controlled descent.

A final hurdle, as recent missions have shown, is remaining upright.

When Intuitive Machines' Odysseus landed in April 2024, it tipped over, 
limiting the investigations it could perform.

Similarly, Japan's SLIM lander, which touched down in March 2024, landed at a 
wonky angle, leaving its solar panels poorly positioned, similarly curtailing 
its operational lifespan.