NASA Celebrates Successful Moon Landing of 'Blue Ghost'

The lunar lander 'Blue Ghost' has successfully landed on the Moon, marking a significant milestone for NASA. The lander, developed by Firefly Aerospace, is now set to conduct a series of experiments on the lunar surface.

'Blue Ghost', measuring approximately two meters in height and three meters in width, touched down in the Mare Crisium, a large lunar plain measuring about 500 kilometers in diameter. This mission, commissioned by NASA, will utilize ten scientific instruments to study the Moon over the next two weeks.

The complex landing procedure was streamed live by NASA and Firefly, demonstrating the technical challenges associated with lunar landings due to the absence of a dense atmosphere that can aid in deceleration. To navigate, 'Blue Ghost' employed two onboard navigation cameras during the final landing phase, helping the craft identify hazards on the lunar surface to select an optimal landing site. Just days prior to the landing, NASA released images of the Moon's surface captured during 'Blue Ghost's' descent.

Upon landing, sensors located on the lander's four carbon composite legs triggered the engine shutdown. NASA has already shared an initial image taken shortly after the successful touchdown.

Equipped with solar panels on its sides and top, 'Blue Ghost' will harness solar energy to power its instruments throughout the 14-day mission, which will conclude before the Moon's frigid night sets in, with temperatures dropping to as low as -280 degrees Fahrenheit (-173 degrees Celsius).

Historically, around half of all lunar landings have ended in failure. However, NASA confirmed that 'Blue Ghost' is standing upright as intended. Last February, Intuitive Machines achieved the first commercial lunar landing with their lander 'Odysseus', although it toppled upon landing. Despite this, it managed to transmit images back to Earth.

Launched in January on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Cape Canaveral, Florida, 'Blue Ghost' was accompanied by another lander, 'Resilience', developed by the Japanese startup ispace, which is expected to reach the Moon later this year.

'Blue Ghost' carries various materials and instruments for lunar exploration, including capabilities to drill into the Moon's surface for sample collection.

Additionally, the mission includes a payload aimed at enhancing Global Positioning System (GPS) technology. The Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) aims to expand GPS and European GNSS capabilities. This collaboration between NASA and the Italian Space Agency will attempt to receive GPS signals from the lunar surface, a feat previously deemed unlikely.

As the mission progresses, 'Blue Ghost' will capture images of the Moon's sunset, providing insights into how lunar soil reacts to the sun's influence during twilight.

Dubbed 'Ghost Riders in the Sky', this mission represents Firefly Aerospace's inaugural lunar venture, focusing on efficient and cost-effective lunar exploration. NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program supports this mission, aiming to gather extensive knowledge through partnerships with private companies. The CLPS initiative has an estimated budget of $2.6 billion allocated until 2028.

In the previous year, two missions under the CLPS program launched, although one faced challenges shortly after takeoff. Intuitive Machines recently launched a second lander, 'Athena', which is expected to land on the Moon soon.

The data gathered from 'Blue Ghost' is intended to support NASA's Artemis program, which aims to land the first woman and a person of color on the Moon. While initially planned for 2024, the timeline has been adjusted to 2027. The last human landing on the Moon occurred over 50 years ago during the Apollo 17 mission in December 1972, with the U.S. being the only nation to have successfully landed humans on the Moon. Other nations, including China, have successfully conducted uncrewed lunar landings and aim to send humans by 2030.