SpaceX live broadcast: Lunar ascent of two distinct private moon landers - one modeled after the mythical Phoenix, the other resembling a Ghost.
Rocket Blast-off: A freakin' badass SpaceX rocket is primed to unleash twin lunar landers towards the frickin' Moon on 15th January, 2025. Mark your calendars, bros! The countdown begins at 06:11 GMT (01:11 EST) from Cape Canaveral, and you better believe it'll be live-streamed.
Blue Ghost, constructed by US Firefly Space, and Resilience created by Japan's ispace, are the spacecraft in question. Both bad boys are chock-full of scientific experiments meant to be deployed once they somewhat miraculously touch down on the lunar surface. After all, let's be real, most previous attempts have ended in delightful explosions.
The SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will act as the cosmic taxi, ferrying these two lunar misfits on their interplanetary adventure. Picture a high-tech limo on steroids, hurtling through the cosmos at mind-boggling speeds. It's going to be epic!
Blue Ghost – Space Thug Life
First up outta the rocket will be Firefly Space's Blue Ghost, as part of the cool as hell 'Ghost Riders in the Sky' mission. The spacecraft will orbit Earth for 25 earth-shattering days before aiming for the Moon, finally touching down late in March. Bonus points for that sweet name!
Blue Ghost's mission is backed by NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which encourages private companies to carry experimental gear to the Moon in preparation for the Artemis missions, aiming to get our butts back on the lunar surface.
Blue Ghost bears 10 experiments, including PlanetVac – a groundbreaking system for collecting moon dirt, or as it's scientifically dubbed, regolith. Instead of employing a complicated mechanical arm or drill, PlanetVac uses a pneumatic vacuum to sift the dust and separate it using gas jets and sieves.
Other experiments on board? Radiation-resistant computers, a lunar dust shield, and even a study on the behavior of regolith during the lunar twilight period. The lander will operate for a full lunar day (approximately 14 earth days), capturing breathtaking photos during dusk in an effort to better understand regolith dynamics.
Resilience – From the Ashes
Following Blue Ghost like a phoenix from the flames will be ispace's Resilience, a second shot at the Moon after their previous Hakuto-R mission crashed in February, 2023, due to an issue with the spacecraft's altimeter. Kudos on the resilience, bros!
Resilience targets Mare Frigoris, a part of the Moon's northern hemisphere. This bad boy comes with a micro rover named Tenacious, exemplifying their unwavering spirit. Tenacious sports a front-facing camera that'll snap amazing pics of the lunar landscape, with commands relayed via the main lander.
The mission's main attractions? An algae module for testing lunar food production, a water electrolysis experiment, a deep-space radiation probe, and a cute, tiny Swedish-style red house created by artist Mikael Genbery. But let's not forget the star of the show – the Tenacious micro rover! Built with support from the Luxembourg Space Agency, this little guy is the size of a shoebox, but don't underestimate its power. If it successfully deploys, it will become the first private rover to ever set foot on another celestial body!
Tune In to the Show
Want to watch the SpaceX launch spectacle? NASA will broadcast it live on their YouTube channel, so grab some popcorn, sit back, and witness history in the making! Or, if you're feeling lucky, head to Florida for a live viewing experience at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex. Keep an eye out for updates on third-party space channels, too! SpaceFlight Now, The Everyday Astronaut, and other space-focused outlets often offer live coverage of launches. Happy astronautin'!
The scientific experiments aboard Blue Ghost, including PlanetVac, aim to collect moon dirt and study the behavior of regolith during the lunar twilight period, contributing to NASA's Artemis mission preparations.
Resilience, after its previous mission's failure, will deploy a micro rover named Tenacious, which, if successful, will become the first private rover to set foot on another celestial body, as part of Japan's ispace's space mission.
