Blue Ghost's final descent to the Moon is tentatively scheduled for March 2. The target landing site is in Mare Crisium, an ancient 350-mile-wide (560-kilometer) impact basin in the northeast part of the near side of the Moon.

These days, private businesses are making big moves in space. Two commercial space probes have just set off on a mission to the Moon. This is a pretty big deal for lunar exploration and shows how private companies are stepping up their game.

Early on Tuesday morning (Jan. 15), a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sent Blue Ghost and Resilience — lunar landers built by Firefly Aerospace and the Tokyo-based company ispace, respectively — into the final frontier from Florida's Space Coast.

Firefly’s Blue Ghost — named after a species of U.S. Southeastern fireflies — should reach the moon first. The 6-foot-6-inches-tall (2-meter-tall) lander will attempt a touchdown in early March at Mare Crisium, a volcanic plain in the northern latitudes.

The Blue Ghost moon lander, launched on January 15 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, is captivating space enthusiasts with breathtaking views of Earth while preparing for its historic lunar mission. This mission,