NASA selects Firefly Aerospace for mission to moon's far side in 2026

NASA has selected Firefly Aerospace to land payloads on the moon and send another into orbit to provide communications with the lunar far side.

The launch will first send the European Space Agency's (ESA) Lunar Pathfinder communications and navigation satellite into an elliptical orbit around the moon to relay signals between Earth and the payloads.

China made the first landing on the far side in 2019 with its Chang'e 4 lander and rover mission.