On January 15, SpaceX successfully launched a Falcon 9 rocket. It sent the Blue Ghost and RESILIENCE vehicles, built by Firefly Aerospace and iSpace, to the Moon.
Blue Ghost
The first to separate from Falcon 9 was the Blue Ghost. It was developed at the time when the owner of Firefly was Ukrainian entrepreneur and philanthropist Max Polyakov. The spacecraft carries ten scientific instruments provided by NASA. Their delivery to the Moon is paid for by a contract issued under the CLPS program.

Blue Ghost will spend the next 25 days in Earth orbit. This time will be spent testing the vehicle’s systems and collecting data on the interaction of the Earth’s magnetosphere with the solar wind. Blue Ghost will then fly to the Moon and enter orbit around it. The landing is scheduled for March 2, 2025. Blue Ghost should land in the area of the Mare Crisium.
The mission’s science program includes studying the properties of the regolith and the structure of the lunar interior, conducting an experiment to pick up GPS signals, determining the exact distance between the Earth and the Moon, and testing a radiation-resistant computer. The vehicle is designed to operate for 14 days on the lunar surface.
RESILIENCE
Blue Ghost’s companion on this mission was the RESILIENCE vehicle, built by the Japanese company iSpace. This is the second attempt for them to conquer the Moon. In 2023, the Hakuto-R lander they built crashed during landing.

RESILIENCE will take a different trajectory than Blue Ghost. In February, the spacecraft will perform a flyby of the Moon, after which it will perform a number of maneuvers in interplanetary space. It will return to the Moon again in May-June 2025.
The mission’s science payload is represented by three instruments, two symbolic payloads (a commemorative plate and a model of a house), and a 5-kilogram Tenacious micro-rover. The landing site will be the Mare Frigoris. RESILIENCE is also designed to operate for one lunar day (14 Earth days).
In February, another private mission organized by Intuitive Machines is expected to reach the Moon. The Falcon 9 rocket will also be used for its launch.