Two companies will attempt the first US moon landings since the Apollo missions a half-century ago

By MARCIA DUNN
AP Aerospace Writer

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Two private companies are aiming to get the U.S. back in the moon-landing business, more than five decades after the Apollo program ended. Since then China and India have successfully landed on the moon, while recent attempts by Russia, Japan and Israel have ended up in the lunar trash heap. Landers from Pittsburgh’s Astrobotic Technology and Houston’s Intuitive Machines are due to launch from Florida this month and next. It’s part of a NASA-supported effort to kick-start commercial moon deliveries, as the space agency focuses on getting astronauts there.