An illustration of a private U.S. lander on the surface of the moon built by Texas-based company Firefly Aerospace. The company’s Blue Ghost lander is carrying a suite of scientific instruments to the moon, including an experiment to detect and use GPS satellite signals on the lunar surface.

Launching at 1:11 a.m. EST on Jan. 15, a SpaceX rocket carried the lunar lander built by Cedar Park-based Firefly Aerospace Inc. into space. Its eventual destination: the moon. The 45-day journey from the Earth to the Moon carries with it multiple scientific instruments as part of NASA ’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services, or CLPS, initiative.

The Blue Ghost mission is one of four Firefly is working on as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative. The initiative is part of NASA's larger Artemis campaign to establish a long-term presence on the Moon and prepare for the exploration of Mars.