'Blue Marble': Firefly's Ghost lunar lander snaps iconic picture of Earth while en route to the Moon! Check out
Produced by Tarun Mishra
Produced by Tarun Mishra
Firefly Aerospace’s lunar lander, Blue Ghost, captured detailed images of Earth one week into its mission. The spacecraft, still circling Earth, is preparing for its journey to the moon.
On Thursday, the spacecraft executed a thruster burn to set its trajectory toward the moon. The lunar lander is expected to reach its destination on March 2.
The Texas-based company shared images and video of Earth, captured by Blue Ghost, on Friday. Firefly while posting the picture on their X account wrote, "Blue Ghost, meet Blue Marble'
Blue Ghost carries scientific experiments for NASA as part of the agency’s broader Artemis program, which aims to return astronauts to the moon within the decade.
Blue Ghost is one of two lunar landers launched by SpaceX from Florida on January 15. The second lander, Resilience, belongs to Tokyo-based ispace and will reach the moon in late May or early June.
Ispace’s Resilience lander marks the company’s second lunar mission after its first attempt ended in a crash in 2023. Currently, Resilience is orbiting Earth and conducting preparatory manoeuvres.
Both landers represent significant steps in advancing commercial lunar exploration. Blue Ghost’s March touchdown and Resilience’s subsequent landing aim to contribute valuable data for future lunar missions.
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