Two privately developed lunar spacecraft, Japan’s ispace and Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost, launched toward the moon on January 16, 2025.

The launch, from Kennedy Space Center in Florida, occurred at 1:11 am ET aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.

The landers will carry out distinct missions and separate about an hour after liftoff.

Firefly’s lander is expected to reach the moon first, in March, while Ispace aims for a May or June landing.

Ispace’s Resilience rover will collect lunar dust and study resources, while Firefly’s lander will conduct 10 experiments.

The spacecraft will operate for two weeks before lunar night halts their activities.