The Moon Race will kick off in January 2025 after a US startup introduces a lunar lander

Firefly Aerospace, a US-based aerospace company, has announced that its Moon lander is ready for transport to the launch site. Known as the Blue Ghost lunar lander, this spacecraft was developed as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. It will soon be shipped from Firefly’s Texas facility to Cape Canaveral in Florida, with its launch planned aboard SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket no earlier than mid-January 2025.

In a statement released on Monday, Firefly confirmed that the Blue Ghost has successfully completed environmental testing, proving its ability to endure the demanding conditions of the lunar surface. These rigorous tests, conducted at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), included exposure to extreme temperatures, vibrations, acoustic forces, and electromagnetic interference.

The Blue Ghost lander will travel to the Moon for 45 days after launch with the goal of making a soft landing in Mare Crisium, an area on the Moon’s near side that is visible from Earth. The lander will carry ten NASA instruments tasked with performing scientific experiments and technological demonstrations as part of the Artemis program.

The payload will enable a range of activities, including lunar subsurface drilling, sample collection, dust mitigation studies, and technology tests. During its operational window of 14 Earth days, the lander will also capture images of the lunar sunset and collect valuable data on how lunar soil, or regolith, responds to solar radiation during the dusk phase on the Moon.

Jason Kin, CEO of Firefly Aerospace, expressed optimism about the mission, stating, “Challenges are inevitable, but I’m confident our team has the expertise to achieve a successful soft landing and accomplish the mission objectives.”

Firefly has obtained three task orders from NASA as part of the CLPS effort, the first of which is this mission. Other companies, such as Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines, have also contributed to the program, with one of their landers successfully reaching the lunar surface earlier this year.

January 2025 could also witness another Moon landing attempt, this time from Japan’s ispace. The company plans to launch its HAKUTO-R lander, aiming for a successful touchdown after its initial attempt in 2023 ended in a crash.