The Blue Ghost lunar module from Firefly Aerospace successfully landed on the surface of the Moon on March 2, marking a significant milestone for the company and for NASA’s commercial space program.
The mission, titled “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” launched on January 15 from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida and executed a soft landing on its first attempt. Since its arrival, the Blue Ghost has been communicating with the operations control in Cedar Park, Texas.
The Blue Ghost carries a total of 10 payloads from NASA and will conduct crucial experiments for 14 days on the lunar surface. These investigations include subsurface drilling, X-ray imaging, and studies related to lunar dust mitigation.
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In addition, the probe has sent more than 7 gigabytes of data to Earth and has captured stunning images, such as eclipses and a selfie with Earth in the background, featuring all the inhabitants of the planet.
This achievement comes a year after the failed attempt of a previous U.S. commercial mission that did not land effectively. In comparison, the Blue Ghost has achieved a stable landing in Mare Crisium, within its target of 100 meters.
The CEO of Firefly, Jason Kim, emphasized the importance of the success of this mission, stating that it paves the way for a lasting lunar presence that will open access to the entire solar system.
In addition, alongside the Blue Ghost, NASA launched the small rover Tenacious, designed by the Japanese company ispace. This rover, which is only 25 centimeters tall and weighs 2.27 kilograms, aims to conduct experiments on food production and lunar radiation detection, thus demonstrating humanity’s ongoing interest in exploring and understanding our natural satellite.