Three private lunar landers are heading to the moon

Three private lunar landers are currently en route to the moon, marking a historic moment in space exploration. Intuitive Machines' Athena launched on February 27, joining Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost and ispace's Resilience, which launched on January 15. Blue Ghost is set to land in the Mare Crisium region on March 2, while Athena will follow four days later, landing near the moon's south pole. Resilience is taking a longer route and is expected to reach lunar orbit by late May or early June. This surge in private lunar missions is unprecedented. Previously, only one private spacecraft, Intuitive Machines' Odysseus, successfully landed on the moon in February 2024.