A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket launched Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 to the Moon from Launch Complex 39A (LC-39A) at Kenndy Space Center at 1:11 a.m. on 15 January 2025. Also on board this mission is ispace’s RESILIENCE lunar lander. Following stage separation, Falcon 9's first stage landed on the Just Read the Instructions droneship stationed in the Atlantic Ocean.

This is the fifth flight for the first stage booster supporting this mission, which previously launched Crew-9, RRT-1, and two Starlink missions.

Once deployed into a lunar transfer orbit, the Blue Ghost lander will begin its approximate 45-day journey to the Moon, where it will land in Mare Crisium for NASA’s payloads to perform numerous science and technology demonstrations, including lunar subsurface drilling, sample collection, and X-ray imaging of Earth’s magnetic field to advance research for future human missions on the Moon and provide insights into how space weather impacts the planet.

After its deployment, the ispace RESILIENCE lander will begin its 4-5 month journey to the Moon. During their mission, ispace aims to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface, deploy its TENACIOUS Micro Rover, explore the Moon’s surface, and collect regolith.