SpaceX launches 2 lunar landers on path to the Moon
(2025/01/15)
- Reference: 1736941493
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2025/01/15/spacex_sends_landers_to_moon/
- Source link:
SpaceX has successfully completed the 100th launch of a Falcon rocket from pad 39A and sent two landers on their way to the Moon.
The mission, launched at 0611 UTC on January 15, 2025, also featured a successful landing of the Falcon 9 first stage on the Just Read The Instructions droneship. Texas-based Firefly Aerospace and Japan's iSpace will be fervently hoping they too can stick the landing – on the Moon's surface – with their respective craft.
Firefly Aerospace confirmed it had received a signal from its Blue Ghost lander shortly after it was deployed in space. The craft is carrying ten science and technology instruments as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. It will take Blue Ghost approximately 45 days to reach lunar orbit, after which its engineers will attempt a smooth descent to the surface.
[1]
The landing process will take just over an hour measuring from the time the lander performs the first descent burn until the shock-absorbing legs of Blue Ghost make a touchdown.
[2]
[3]
If all goes well – and there are several craters on the Moon's surface marking where things did not go to plan for other landers – Blue Ghost will operate its payloads for a complete lunar day (approximately 14 Earth days) and keep going for a few more hours once night falls.
Accompanying Blue Ghost on the launch is Hakuto-R Mission 2 – named Resilience – built by Tokyo-based ispace. Resilience follows the company's Hakuto-R Mission 1, [4]which ended in failure after a crash landing on the lunar surface.
[5]SEC sues Elon Musk for allegedly screwing investors out of $150M before Twitter takeover
[6]NASA's lunar Roomba set to suck up Moon dirt for study
[7]SpaceX will try satellite deployment on next Starship test
[8]Axiom Space shuffles space station assembly sequence – to get it standalone sooner
Engineers have learned lessons from Hakuto-R Mission 1, and while Resilience follows the same overall design, upgrades were made to improve the new model's chances of success. The Japanese lander [9]is also carrying a rover , dubbed Tenacious. The rover, which weighs in at just 5kg and measures 31.5cm wide and 54cm long, is equipped with an HD camera for capturing images on the lunar surface and a shovel.
Resilience's journey to the Moon will take approximately four or five months. After the first month, Resilience will complete a lunar flyby followed by operations in deep space before entering orbit around the Moon.
[10]
[11]According to commentary during the launch, the landing of the Falcon 9 first stage marked the 398th recovery of a Falcon booster for SpaceX. ®
Get our [12]Tech Resources
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[4] https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/25/ispace_hakutor_lunar_lander_crash/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/15/sec_musk_complaint/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/09/nasa_moon_vacuum_cleaner/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/06/spacex_starship_test/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/12/19/axiom_space_shuffles_station_assembly/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/09/13/japan_ispace_moonhouse/
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[11] https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=firefly-blueghost-mission-1
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
The mission, launched at 0611 UTC on January 15, 2025, also featured a successful landing of the Falcon 9 first stage on the Just Read The Instructions droneship. Texas-based Firefly Aerospace and Japan's iSpace will be fervently hoping they too can stick the landing – on the Moon's surface – with their respective craft.
Firefly Aerospace confirmed it had received a signal from its Blue Ghost lander shortly after it was deployed in space. The craft is carrying ten science and technology instruments as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. It will take Blue Ghost approximately 45 days to reach lunar orbit, after which its engineers will attempt a smooth descent to the surface.
[1]
The landing process will take just over an hour measuring from the time the lander performs the first descent burn until the shock-absorbing legs of Blue Ghost make a touchdown.
[2]
[3]
If all goes well – and there are several craters on the Moon's surface marking where things did not go to plan for other landers – Blue Ghost will operate its payloads for a complete lunar day (approximately 14 Earth days) and keep going for a few more hours once night falls.
Accompanying Blue Ghost on the launch is Hakuto-R Mission 2 – named Resilience – built by Tokyo-based ispace. Resilience follows the company's Hakuto-R Mission 1, [4]which ended in failure after a crash landing on the lunar surface.
[5]SEC sues Elon Musk for allegedly screwing investors out of $150M before Twitter takeover
[6]NASA's lunar Roomba set to suck up Moon dirt for study
[7]SpaceX will try satellite deployment on next Starship test
[8]Axiom Space shuffles space station assembly sequence – to get it standalone sooner
Engineers have learned lessons from Hakuto-R Mission 1, and while Resilience follows the same overall design, upgrades were made to improve the new model's chances of success. The Japanese lander [9]is also carrying a rover , dubbed Tenacious. The rover, which weighs in at just 5kg and measures 31.5cm wide and 54cm long, is equipped with an HD camera for capturing images on the lunar surface and a shovel.
Resilience's journey to the Moon will take approximately four or five months. After the first month, Resilience will complete a lunar flyby followed by operations in deep space before entering orbit around the Moon.
[10]
[11]According to commentary during the launch, the landing of the Falcon 9 first stage marked the 398th recovery of a Falcon booster for SpaceX. ®
Get our [12]Tech Resources
[1] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=2&c=2Z4fpv_9jyF4FcyWCI7WezAAAAE8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D2%26raptor%3Dcondor%26pos%3Dtop%26test%3D0
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[4] https://www.theregister.com/2023/04/25/ispace_hakutor_lunar_lander_crash/
[5] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/15/sec_musk_complaint/
[6] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/09/nasa_moon_vacuum_cleaner/
[7] https://www.theregister.com/2025/01/06/spacex_starship_test/
[8] https://www.theregister.com/2024/12/19/axiom_space_shuffles_station_assembly/
[9] https://www.theregister.com/2024/09/13/japan_ispace_moonhouse/
[10] https://pubads.g.doubleclick.net/gampad/jump?co=1&iu=/6978/reg_offbeat/science&sz=300x50%7C300x100%7C300x250%7C300x251%7C300x252%7C300x600%7C300x601&tile=4&c=44Z4fpv_9jyF4FcyWCI7WezAAAAE8&t=ct%3Dns%26unitnum%3D4%26raptor%3Dfalcon%26pos%3Dmid%26test%3D0
[11] https://www.spacex.com/launches/mission/?missionId=firefly-blueghost-mission-1
[12] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
Re: Obligatory beer
beast666
Let's also raise a toast to Mr Musk, without whom, none of this would be possible at stunning low cost.
Re: Obligatory beer
Anonymous Coward
I'll grab my popcorn and watch this thread.
Re: Obligatory beer
Oneman2Many
The difference between say a F9 vs Vulcan launch cost is quite small in the overall budget of the programs, I wouldn't expect it to be a deal breaker for the program. Where F9 does score is in the cadence of launches potentially allowing an earlier launch date.
Re: Obligatory beer
Flocke Kroes
The launch market was ready for disruption. If SpaceX had not done it [1]frustrated engineers from Blue Origin would would have.
[1] https://www.stokespace.com/
Re: Let's also raise a toast to Mr Musk
Craig 2
You forgot your icon ;-)
Navigational error?
Doctor Syntax
I thought the Moon was a waste of time and they were just going straight to Mars. Isn't that what the Dear Leader said not long ago?
Re: Navigational error?
alisonken1
I thought the Moon was a waste of time and they were just going straight to Mars. Isn't that what the Dear Leader said not long ago?
This is a customer launch - not a SpaceX launch. Also, cargo, not crew.
Obligatory beer
Here is a beer for all the hardworking engineers and scientists, who, unlike the general public (and people who should know better), know that space is very very hard and munlanding even harder.
I await further news with bated breath (not holding it though, cos 45 days is a bit long!)