Snapshots from Atlas 5 launch

The lunar operation marks the longest commercial mission on the Moon to date. Firefly Aerospace is in the midst of preparing for its next trip to the Moon, which is set to launch in 2026.

Launching the commercial WorldView 4 Earth-imaging satellite for DigitalGlobe, a United Launch Alliance Atlas 5 rocket thunders away from California’s Vandenberg Air Force Base today at 10:30 a.m. local time (1:30 p.m. EST; 1830 GMT).

NASA is modifying plans to send astronauts back to the moon in 2024 by taking the Gateway — a mini-space station to be assembled in lunar orbit — out of the critical path in favor of a simplified architecture, according to the agency’s chief of human spaceflight.