Private US, Japanese lunar landers head to moon on a single rocket

One rocket, two missions: lunar landers built by US and Japanese companies launched their “rideshare” to the moon on Wednesday, showcasing the private sector’s growing role in space exploration.

On board the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket that took off from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida were Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost and ispace’s Resilience from Japan, which will also deploy a micro rover.

Both uncrewed missions 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 neighbour.

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 programme, designed to cut costs and stimulate a lunar economy.