RNS: US-based Firefly Aerospace announced a significant milestone on Sunday with its Blue Ghost lunar lander achieving a soft, stable landing on the Moon’s surface. This marks the company’s first attempt and a major achievement in lunar exploration.
The spacecraft also shared its first image of the Moon, with Firefly celebrating the accomplishment on X (formerly Twitter). “Would you look at that view! #BlueGhost captured its first image on the Moon that embodies everything this bold, unstoppable Firefly team has worked so hard for over the last 3+ years. And we’re just getting started! Find out what’s next for #BGM1,” the company posted.
Part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1, called Ghost Riders in the Sky, has made history as the first commercial company to achieve a fully successful soft-landing on the Moon. The mission signals the future of cislunar exploration and lays the foundation for future lunar missions.
“We’re literally and figuratively over the Moon,” said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. “Our Blue Ghost lunar lander now has a permanent home on the lunar surface with 10 NASA payloads and a plaque bearing the names of every Firefly employee.” Kim added that the achievement shows Firefly’s ability to deliver reliable, affordable access to the Moon, and the company is poised to lead future lunar exploration efforts.
Blue Ghost, carrying 10 NASA instruments, made a precision landing in Mare Crisium at 2:34 a.m. CST on March 2, landing within 100 meters of its target near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille. The lander’s shock-absorbing legs ensured a stable, upright configuration as inertial readings confirmed the successful touchdown.
Following its arrival, Firefly successfully began commanding and communicating with the lander from its Mission Operations Center in Cedar Park, Texas. Blue Ghost will now begin its surface operations, supporting various NASA science and technology demonstrations over the next 14 days, equivalent to a full lunar day.
These operations include lunar subsurface drilling, sample collection, X-ray imaging, and dust mitigation experiments. On March 14, Firefly plans to capture high-definition images of a total eclipse when the Earth blocks the sun above the Moon’s horizon. Additionally, on March 16, Blue Ghost will capture the lunar sunset and observe how lunar dust behaves in the absence of sunlight, continuing the studies first documented during Apollo 17.
As Blue Ghost enters the lunar night, it will continue its operations, capturing images to analyze how the behavior of levitating dust changes in the cooler conditions. “With the hardest part behind us, Firefly looks forward to completing more than 14 days of surface operations, raising the bar for commercial cislunar capabilities,” said Shea Ferring, Chief Technology Officer at Firefly Aerospace.
Throughout its 45-day journey, Blue Ghost traveled more than 2.8 million miles, transmitting over 27 GB of data and supporting numerous payload science operations. This included groundbreaking experiments in signal tracking, radiation-tolerant computing, and magnetic field measurements.
Firefly will continue to provide updates on the Blue Ghost Mission 1 through its mission webpage, while NASA’s Artemis blog will share additional details about payload operations.
