'Successful touchdown': Blue Ghost becomes the second commercial spacecraft to land on Moon
Produced by Tarun Mishra
Produced by Tarun Mishra
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander successfully touched down on the Moon’s near side at 3:34 a.m. Eastern Time on March 2, 2025. The spacecraft, developed by the Texas-based company, is the second private mission to achieve a successful lunar landing.
Following Intuitive Machines’ landing last year, Firefly Aerospace is now the second private company to land on the Moon. Unlike previous missions that faced challenges upon landing, Blue Ghost has remained operational.
The spacecraft landed in Mare Crisium, a lava-filled basin located in the northeastern quadrant of the Moon’s near side. This location was chosen for scientific exploration and payload deployment.
Blue Ghost carried multiple scientific and experimental instruments, including ten NASA payloads under the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) programme. These include a heat flow measurement drill, an electrodynamic dust shield, and an X-ray camera.
The mission is designed to operate for approximately 14 Earth days until lunar sunset. Blue Ghost launched in January 2025, sharing a ride on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with Ispace’s Resilience lander, which is scheduled to reach the Moon in May.
Blue Ghost’s journey has been largely smooth, with minor thermal fluctuations observed. Mission controllers have made necessary adjustments to ensure stable operation in the lunar environment.
The Ispace Resilience lander, which launched alongside Blue Ghost, is following a longer, fuel-efficient trajectory and is expected to enter lunar orbit in May 2025. The two missions remain independent, with Resilience taking advantage of a rideshare launch.
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