SpaceX launched Japan's ispace Resilience and the US-based Firefly Blue Ghost as part of the global effort to explore the moon. Resilience seeks a second lunar landing attempt after a prior setback, while Firefly embarks on its first mission.

Japanese space startup Ispace launched its second lunar lander, Resilience, early Wednesday in Florida, marking a critical step in the company’s quest to achieve a successful moon landing. The lander, part of Ispace’s Hakuto-R program, lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket just after 1 a.m. from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander and ispace's RESILIENCE lander and TENACIOUS micro rover launched Wednesday morning from NASA's Kennedy Space Center.