Firefly Aerospace Achieves Historic Lunar Landing

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost spacecraft successfully landed on the Moon on Sunday, marking a historic milestone as the first private company to achieve a fully successful lunar landing, Anadolu Agency reported. NASA announced the achievement, stating that Blue Ghost safely delivered ten scientific investigations and technology demonstrations aimed at enhancing lunar exploration.

Touching down on Mare Crisium, the mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. The payloads include instruments such as a drill for measuring lunar heat flow and an X-ray camera, crucial for supporting future human missions under the Artemis program.

Ray Allensworth, program manager for Blue Ghost, noted that the landing occurred just after lunar dawn, optimizing solar panel efficiency. The mission, which lasted 14 Earth days, followed a 25-day Earth orbit and a four-day journey to the Moon. Firefly’s success underscores the potential of public-private partnerships in reducing space exploration costs, with NASA investing $101.5 million in the mission.