A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is set to launch a pair of lunar landers on a journey to our closest celestial neighbor — kicking off what’s expected to be a bustling year of moon missions amid a renewed race to establish a long-term human presence on the lunar surface.

SpaceX plans to launch two private moon landers early Wednesday morning (Jan. 15), and you can watch the action live.

Just after midnight Wednesday, a SpaceX rocket is scheduled to lift off, carrying a pair of lunar landers that will try to touch down on the moon in the coming months. One was built by a Japanese company and the other was built by a Texas company.

Two private spacecraft aiming to land on the moon are set to blast off onboard a SpaceX rocket, in a sign of increasing commercial activity on the lunar surface. Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander and ispace’s Resilience lander have both got a ride ...