Austin, Texas – Firefly Aerospace made history on Sunday, March 2nd, by successfully landing a spacecraft on the Moon, marking a significant milestone in private space exploration.
The mission, which launched on January 15th, culminated in the Blue Ghost lander touching down on Lunar soil in Mare Crisium at 2:34 a.m. Central Standard Time on March 2. The landing was executed flawlessly, leaving the spacecraft in an upright and stable position just 100 meters from its target.
Utilizing advanced vision-based terrain relative navigation systems, Firefly’s craft was able to identify a flat and safe spot for touchdown, showcasing cutting-edge technology in lunar exploration.
Since its successful landing, Firefly has been able to capture images of the Blue Ghost and its landing spot, as well as deploy an X-band antenna to facilitate quicker data transmission in the future.
The Blue Ghost carries 10 NASA payloads, which will be utilized for various tasks over the next 14 days, including subsurface drilling, sample collection, X-ray imaging, and dust mitigation experiments. Firefly aims to capture high-definition imagery of a total eclipse on March 14, followed by snapshots of the lunar sunset to study the levitation of lunar dust due to solar influences.
As the mission progresses, Firefly will have to contend with the harsh Lunar nights, which pose challenges due to extremely low temperatures. The team plans to operate for five hours after sunset, with hopes that the spacecraft will continue to provide valuable data.
One of the key payloads on the Blue Ghost is the Next Generation Lunar Retroreflector, which promises significant advancements in lunar coordinate systems and scientific research. By reflecting light back to Earth, this device will contribute to the exploration of lunar physics, astrophysics, cosmology, and potentially shed light on theories related to dark matter.
With this groundbreaking achievement, Firefly Aerospace has opened up new possibilities for private space exploration and furthered our understanding of the Moon’s surface and inner structure. The successful landing of the Blue Ghost signifies a major leap forward in humanity’s quest to unlock the mysteries of outer space.