Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost spacecraft successfully landed on the Moon, marking a historic milestone as the first commercial company to complete a fully successful lunar landing.
"We’re baaack! Blue Ghost has landed, safely delivering 10 NASA scientific investigations and tech demos that will help us learn more about the lunar environment and support future astronauts on the Moon and Mars," NASA announced on X.
Carrying a range of NASA’s scientific payloads, the spacecraft touched down on Sunday on Mare Crisium, a vast lunar plain formed by an ancient asteroid impact, ushering in a new era in space exploration.
"We have confirmation #BlueGhost stuck the landing! Firefly just became the first commercial company in history to achieve a fully successful Moon landing. This small step on the Moon represents a giant leap in commercial exploration.
"Congratulations to the entire Firefly team, our mission partners, and our @NASA customers for this incredible feat that paves the way for future missions to the Moon and Mars," Firefly Aerospace also stated on X.
Vital mission
The Blue Ghost mission, launched under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, carried 10 critical payloads for NASA, including a drill to measure lunar heat flow, an electrodynamic dust shield, and an X-ray camera.
These instruments aim to enhance understanding of the moon’s environment, playing a crucial role in supporting future human missions under NASA’s Artemis program, which seeks to return astronauts to the moon and eventually Mars.
Ray Allensworth, program manager for Blue Ghost at Firefly, highlighted the timing of the landing, which occurred at 3.45 a.m. Eastern Time (0845GMT), just after lunar dawn.
"That’s just when that happens," he said, explaining that the spacecraft’s solar panels require sunlight to function efficiently. The mission is expected to last about 14 Earth days until the onset of lunar night.
The journey
The landing marked the culmination of a series of key achievements. After launch, Blue Ghost spent 25 days in Earth orbit before firing its engine for a four-day journey to the moon.
It entered lunar orbit on February 13 and has since transmitted detailed images of the moon’s cratered surface.
Despite minor glitches, the spacecraft has performed smoothly, with mission controllers making real-time adjustments to address temperature fluctuations and other minor anomalies.
This success follows a year of high-profile lunar missions, including the first commercial landing in 2024 by Odysseus, a lander by company Intuitive Machines that toppled on its side after touching down on the Moon's surface.
Firefly’s achievement represents a significant step toward lowering the cost of space exploration through public-private partnerships, with NASA investing $101.5 million in the mission.
