SpaceX launches two lunar landers toward moon for U.S., Japanese companies

Tags: International News

Why in the news?

• In a two-for-one moonshot,SpaceX launched a pair of lunar landers  on January 15, 2025 for U.S. and Japanese companies looking to jumpstart business on Earth’s dusty sidekick.

Important points:

• A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket lifts off from pad 39A with a payload of a pair of lunar landers at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Fla. on January 15, 2025.

  Only five countries have successfully placed spacecraft on the moon since the 1960s: the former Soviet Union, U.S., China, India and Japan

  The two landers rocketed away in the middle of the night from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA)’s Kennedy Space Center, the latest in a stream of private spacecraft aiming for the moon. 

  They shared the ride to save money, taking separate roundabout routes for the monthslong journey.