Who will rule the Moon? Lunar showdown set between US, China, Russia, India, Japan, EU and others

Moon exploration by private companies is escalating.

Here's why: A company that establishes infrastructure first could dominate a burgeoning lunar economy.

The race is pushing advancements in space travel, robotics, AI, and sustainable off-world living.

Recent events show growing trend and marks a significant step forward in commercial lunar missions.

Early on Sunday (March 2), Firefly Aerospace successfully landed its Blue Ghost Mission 1 spacecraft upright on the Moon, thus making it the first privately built lander to accomplish such a feat.

Firefly's success has set a new, higher tempo towards this goal.

It also demonstrates the increasing role of private industry in deep-space exploration, besides government-funded Lunar programmes.

On March 2, the Firefly lander touched down at 3:34 am US Eastern Time (0834 GMT) near Mons Latreille, a volcanic feature in the Moon’s Mare Crisium region.

This milestone underscores the growing capabilities of private space companies working in partnership with Nasa.

In February, Intuitive Machines became the first private company to land a spacecraft on the Moon, though its Odysseus lander tipped over on impact, limiting its functionality.

On March 7, 2025, Intuitive Machines' Athena lander (IM-2) touched down on the moon, near Mons Mouton, the southernmost lunar landing ever. Athena landed 250 metres from target, on its side, inside a crater, according to the IM.

Despite its position, controllers advanced key payload milestones, including NASA’s PRIME-1 suite. With batteries depleted, solar recharge is unlikely due to crater conditions. However, insights from IM-2 may enable further exploration of the challenging lunar south pole.

Blue Ghost’s successful upright landing, however, is a crucial technological leap, ensuring better stability for scientific operations and long-term sustainability of private lunar missions.

“Y’all stuck the landing, we’re on the Moon,” an engineer at Firefly’s mission control in Austin, Texas, exclaimed, as cheers erupted among the team. CEO Jason Kim later confirmed the lander was “stable and upright.”

Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, celebrated the moment, saying, “We’re on the Moon!”

A critical aspect of the mission was Blue Ghost’s ability to autonomously navigate the Moon’s rugged terrain, slowing from thousands of miles per hour to just two mph before touchdown.

The first image from the lander revealed a rocky, cratered landscape, highlighting the complexity of selecting a safe landing site in real time.

The lander was launched on January 15 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and traveled 2.8 million miles to reach its destination.

The mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which aims to leverage private industry for cost-effective lunar exploration and to support the Artemis program’s long-term goal of returning astronauts to the Moon.

Blue Ghost is equipped with ten scientific instruments, including a lunar soil analyser, a radiation-tolerant computer, and an experiment testing the feasibility of using global satellite navigation systems on the Moon.

The lander is designed to operate for 14 Earth days, a full lunar day, and is expected to capture high-definition images of the total solar eclipse on March 14, when Earth’s shadow will darken the Moon’s surface.

Another key experiment will take place on March 16, when the lander will document a lunar sunset and study how dust levitates under solar radiation — an effect first observed by Apollo astronaut Eugene Cernan.

Texas-based Intuitive Machines followed up with its second lunar mission, IM-2 (launched on March 6, 2025). Its Athena lander attempted to land near Mons Mouton, the southernmost lunar landing site ever targeted. This mission features a drill designed to search for ice deposits and a novel hopping drone meant to explore difficult lunar terrain.

NASA’s broader vision involves routine lunar exploration through the $2.6 billion CLPS initiative, which has already funded multiple private lunar missions.

This approach aims to reduce costs and accelerate innovation by allowing companies to develop and deploy lunar landers and rovers for scientific and commercial purposes.

The success of Blue Ghost comes at a pivotal time for NASA, as the agency faces potential shifts in its exploration priorities.

There's speculation that the Artemis programme might be scaled back in favour of Mars exploration.

This effort is strongly advocated by both President Donald Trump and SpaceX founder Elon Musk.

Implication: proving the viability of commercial lunar missions has never been more critical.

By demonstrating the ability to land upright and function effectively, Firefly has reinforced the growing role of private industry in space exploration, bringing humanity one step closer to sustained lunar presence and, ultimately, deep-space exploration.

Here's why private companies are racing for lunar dominance:

#1. Economic opportunities

#2. Strategic and tech leadership

#3. Government partnerships & incentives

#4. Gateway to Mars and beyond

#5. Prestige and brand power