The lander of Texas-based rocket and spacecraft builder Firefly Aerospace has begun a 45-day trip to the moon.

Firefly Aerospace's first mission to the moon is poised to launch in the early morning hours on Jan. 15. The company's Blue Ghost lunar lander is sharing a payload bay with another mission to the moon's surface,

A moon lander from Firefly Aerospace was launched this morning carrying a variety of NASA science instruments and technology demonstrations. The Blue Ghost mission was launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1:11 a.m. ET today, Wednesday January 15.