U.S. and Japan Collaborate on Moon Lander Missions

U.S. and Japan Collaborate on Moon Lander Missions

Sub: Sci

Sec: Space tech

Why in News

On a historic occasion, U.S. and Japanese companies launched two lunar landers, Blue Ghost (by Firefly Aerospace) and Resilience (by ispace), aboard a single SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The event highlights the growing role of the private sector in space exploration and advances in lunar exploration under the NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program.

• Launch Site: Kennedy Space Center, Florida.
• Payloads:
  • Blue Ghost by Firefly Aerospace (U.S.).
  • Resilience by ispace (Japan), which carries a micro rover named Tenacious.

Blue Ghost Lunar Lander:

• Blue Ghost will take 45 days to reach its destination near Mons Latreille, a volcanic feature on the Moon’s northeastern near side.
• Carries 10 NASA instruments to conduct scientific investigations, including:
  • Characterizing the Earth’s magnetosphere.
  • Studying lunar dust and the Moon’s interior structure and thermal properties.
• Technology demonstrations for Navigation systems and computing in high-radiation environments.

Resilience Lunar Lander:

• Resilience will take 4-5 months to reach Mare Frigoris, a region on the Moon’s far north.
• Includes scientific instruments and the Tenacious rover developed by ispace-Europe (Luxembourg subsidiary).
• Features of Tenacious:
  • Equipped with a high-definition camera.
  • Designed to scoop up regolith, the Moon’s loose surface material.

NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS):

• NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative is a pivotal program aimed at leveraging private sector capabilities to deliver scientific instruments and technology payloads to the lunar surface.
• This initiative is integral to NASA’s broader Artemis program, which seeks to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon by the end of the decade.
• The program facilitates the deployment of scientific instruments to conduct research on lunar geology, resource potential, and other scientific inquiries, thereby enhancing our understanding of Earth’s nearest celestial neighbour.