The American and Japanese lunar probe launched by SpaceX from Florida will explore the moon

The Blue Ghost lunar probe was developed by Firefly Aerospace of Texas. The Resilience probe comes from the Japanese start-up ispace. Blue Ghost is expected to reach the Moon in about 45 days, and Resilience in four to five months.

About 2 meters high and 3 meters wide, Blue Ghost carries materials and instruments for 10 scientific researches led by NASA.

The aim of these studies is to explore the layers below the surface of the Moon, with a focus on preparations for future manned missions.

Resilience is also equipped with a micro-rover called Tenacious, designed to explore the Moon’s surface and collect loose material.

SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 6.11am GMT. Blue Ghost’s separation occurred on schedule about an hour after liftoff, and ispace’s Resilience about 30 minutes after that.

Countries and private companies around the world have focused on the Moon in recent years because of its potential to establish bases and resources that could be mined for applications in space, making Earth’s natural satellite a stage for geopolitical competition similar to the Cold War era space race.