Two private lunar landers head for the moon in roundabout journey

The two landers rocketed away in the middle of the night from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Centre, the latest in a stream of private spacecraft aiming for the moon

A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket bore a pair of lunar landers. Picture: AP

Wed, 15 Jan, 2025 - 15:50

Marcia Dunn, AP

In a two-for-one moonshot, SpaceX has launched a pair of lunar landers for US and Japanese companies looking to jump-start business on Earth’s nearest neighbour.

The two landers rocketed away in the middle of the night from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Centre, the latest in a stream of private spacecraft aiming for the moon.