Blue Ghost Mission 1 – Shadow on the Moon's Surface. (Photo: Firefly Aerospace)
Lunar history has been made. After a 45-day transit and traveling more than 2.8 million miles, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander touched down on the Moon, carrying vital NASA payloads. With this, Firefly has become the first commercial company to achieve a fully successful lunar landing after several failed attempts from other private enterprises.
Following a mid-January launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, Blue Ghost landed on the Moon at 3:34 a.m. EST on Sunday, March 2. According to Firefly, the four-legged artifact touched down within its 328-foot target zone in an ancient volcanic dome within an area known as Mare Crisium, located in the northeast quadrant of the Moon’s near side. At 6.6 feet tall and 11 feet wide, Blue Ghost's proportions helped it ensure a smooth landing by providing extra stability.
On its way to the Moon and during its landing, Blue Ghost took some breathtaking images of both Earth and our satellite, as well as some clever “selfies.” Among the most striking images are a shot of Blue Ghost's shadow reflecting on the Moon's surface with Earth in the distance, an image of a lunar sunrise, a picture of the Moon's south pole covered in craters, and a self-portrait with Earth in the background.
Blue Ghost carries 10 NASA science and technology instruments, such as Lunar PlanetVac (LPV), a vacuum that can collect and sort moon dirt for further analysis; Lunar Instrumentation for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity (LISTER), a drill technology to measure temperature and conductivity as deep as 3 meters beneath the surface; Regolith Adherence Characterization (RAC), a device that studies the way moon dust adheres to different materials—key for future bases and space suits; and a Next Generation Lunar Retroreflector (NGLR), which supports the determination of the distance between Earth and the Moon by reflecting very short laser pulses.
This technology will operate for one lunar day, equivalent to 14 Earth days, and will work some hours into the lunar night. Blue Ghost is intimately related to the Artemis campaign, meaning the information provided by them is key for the return of humans to the moon–but it's also key to understanding what goes on down here. “The data captured will benefit humanity by providing insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces impact Earth,” says NASA.
As part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative, Blue Ghost's mission also marks a watershed moment in private lunar delivery, which is expected to kickstart competition among businesses hoping to land NASA contracts in the coming years. This is particularly interesting, given private companies work with a limited budget with devices that must land on their own, as opposed to NASA's landmark missions with billions in funding–something Firefly just proved to be achievable. To stay up to date with this company, follow Firefly on Instagram.
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander touched down on the Moon, carrying vital NASA payloads.
Blue Ghost Mission 1 – Lunar PlanetVac on the Moon. (Photo: Firefly Aerospace)
With this, Firefly has become the first commercial company to achieve a fully successful lunar landing.
Blue Ghost Mission 1 – Earth Selfie Photo. (Photo: Firefly Aerospace)
As part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative, Blue Ghost's mission also marks a watershed moment in private lunar delivery.
Blue Ghost Mission 1 – Moon Shot. (Photo: Firefly Aerospace)
On its way to the Moon and during its landing, Blue Ghost took some breathtaking images of both Earth and our satellite, as well as some clever “selfies.”
Blue Ghost Mission 1 – Moon Fly By. (Photo: Firefly Aerospace)
Among the most striking images is a picture of the Moon's south pole covered in craters…
Blue Ghost Mission 1 – Moon's South Pole. (Photo: Firefly Aerospace)
…and an image of a lunar sunrise.
Blue Ghost Mission 1 – Lunar Sunrise. (Photo: Firefly Aerospace)
Firefly Aerospace: Website | Instagram | Facebook
All images via Firefly Aerospace.
Sources: Firefly Aerospace Becomes First Commercial Company to Successfully Land on the Moon; Touchdown! Carrying NASA Science, Firefly’s Blue Ghost Lands on Moon; Private lunar lander Blue Ghost aces moon touchdown with a special delivery for NASA
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