The mission to land on the moon starts: The trip will last 45 days

"Ghost Riders in the Sky" the mission name chosen by US start-up Firefly Aerospace - will aim to land in Mare Crisium, a dark area the size of Great Britain on the near side of the moon.

The Blue Ghost lunar lander will carry 10 scientific instruments and technology demonstrations to the surface as part of NASA's collaboration with private operators.

"This is the entry point for other planets, like Mars."

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Jason Kim, Chief Executive Officer of Firefly Aerospace, said NASA paid a fixed amount of 94 million euros for the mission, which was made possible by innovations in technology.

"We believe in the future of a strong lunar economy," he said.

"It's an entry point to other planets, like Mars. The private sector enables affordable and scientifically valuable missions, and that's exactly what we're doing with this first Blue Ghost mission."

The spacecraft will launch from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida in mid-January or shortly thereafter, and will reach the moon in 45 days.

The landing will be autonomous, with shock-absorbing legs to reduce the risk of tipping over, which happened to Intuitive Machines' Nova-C spacecraft at the moon's south polar region last February.

The mission studies lunar dust

Several technology demonstrations are dedicated to working with moon dust.

The PlanetVac system will vacuum up and analyze lunar samples, while the electromagnetic dust shield will be tested to see if it can protect sensitive instruments.

"The Moon is a very dusty area. When designing technologies for the lunar surface, we need to better understand the regolith. Lunar dust can affect mechanical components and human health, so we need to know how to deal with its effects," said Ryan Watkins, a NASA scientist.

The Blue Ghost lander will remain functional on the surface for 14 days. One of its final tasks will be to capture the sunset on the moon.

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It is expected to provide the first high-quality images of the moon's glow, a phenomenon caused by dust particles floating a few centimeters above the surface.

"We expect to capture the phenomenon that Eugene Cernan described during his final steps on the Apollo 17 mission, when he observed the glow as lunar dust floated on the lunar surface," he added.