WASHINGTON, Jan 8, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - US company Firefly Aerospace said Tuesday it is aiming to launch a lander to the Moon next week under an experimental NASA program that partners with the commercial sector to reduce costs.

If successful, it would mark only the second time an American robot has touched down on the lunar surface since the end of the Apollo era. 

"Buckle up! Our road trip to the Moon is set to launch at 1:11 a.m. EST on Wednesday, Jan. 15, aboard a @SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket," Texas-based Firefly Space wrote in a post on X.

The company's lander, Blue Ghost, stands 2 meters (6.6 feet) tall and 3.5 meters (11.5 feet) wide. It will aim to deliver gear for 10 science research projects and technology demonstrations to a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille, located within Mare Crisium on the Moon's northeast near side.

Blue Ghost will spend 45 days traveling to the Moon, followed by a planned 14-day operational phase on the surface.

Firefly Aerospace was awarded a $93 million contract in 2021 under NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. 

The program has recruited newcomer space companies to deliver scientific and technological payloads to the Moon, with the goal of fostering a private lunar economy and establishing a sustained presence there as part of the broader Artemis program.

The first CLPS mission, conducted by Pennsylvania-based Astrobotic in January 2024, ended in failure.

The company's Peregrine lander launched aboard a United Launch Alliance Vulcan rocket but was lost a few days later due to a fuel leak, ultimately burning up in Earth's atmosphere.

A month later, Texas-based Intuitive Machines achieved a partial success. Its lander launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 and successfully touched down near the Moon's south pole on February 22. 

However, it broke a leg upon landing and came to rest at an angle, preventing its solar panels from receiving enough sunlight to keep its radio powered. Still, the mission completed several tests, transmitted photos, and marked the first American lunar landing since the Apollo 17 mission in 1972.

To date, only five countries have successfully soft-landed spacecraft on the Moon: the Soviet Union, the United States, China, India, and Japan.