A SpaceX rocket lifted off on Wednesday from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida carrying Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost and ispace's Resilience from Japan. The double mission highlighted the

Countries and private companies worldwide have been focused on the moon in recent years for its potential to host astronaut bases and hold resources that could be mined for in-space applications, making Earth's natural satellite a stage for national prestige and geopolitical competition akin to the Cold War-era space race.

The Blue Origin rocket was delayed to no earlier than 1 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 12 due to unfavorable conditions offshore. The company delayed the launch to maximize chances at successfully landing the first-stage of the new rocket on its drone ship in the Atlantic. This brings the SpaceX launch to the front of the line.