Texas Company’s Blue Ghost Lands on Lunar Surface
A robotic spacecraft built by Firefly Aerospace successfully landed on the moon early Sunday morning. The Blue Ghost lander touched down at 3:34 a.m. Eastern time on a lava plain known as Mare Crisium, marking a significant achievement for the Texas-based company. Shortly after landing, the spacecraft transmitted its first photograph of the lunar surface, confirming its successful descent.
Firefly Aerospace became the second private company to land on the moon, following Intuitive Machines’ successful landing earlier this year. NASA is supporting these commercial missions through its Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, paying Firefly $101.5 million for this mission. “What Firefly demonstrated today… it’s incredibly difficult,” said Joel Kearns, a NASA official, emphasizing the mission’s complexity.
The Blue Ghost mission launched on January 15 from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and performed nearly flawlessly. About an hour before landing, the spacecraft fired its main engine to adjust its descent path. For the final minutes, it slowed from 3,800 mph, pivoted to a vertical orientation, and gently touched down. “Oh my god, we did it!” exclaimed Firefly’s program director, Ray Allensworth.
The lander is carrying 10 scientific instruments for NASA, many of which focus on studying lunar dust, which can be harmful to machinery and astronauts. Scientists will examine how dust adheres to materials, how rocket plumes disturb the surface, and whether electromagnetism can mitigate dust buildup. The mission is expected to last 14 Earth days, until lunar sunset.
One of the instruments on board successfully tracked global navigation signals while in lunar orbit, demonstrating that GPS and Galileo satellites could assist with lunar navigation in the future. The lander also carries an X-ray telescope to study Earth’s magnetic field and a drill designed to measure heat flow from the moon’s interior. Another experiment will test a radiation-resistant computer system.
Firefly Aerospace’s success comes after years of challenges. Originally founded in 2014, the company faced financial struggles and legal disputes, including a lawsuit from Virgin Galactic over trade secrets. After a European investor pulled out, Firefly nearly collapsed before being revived by entrepreneur Max Polyakov. However, in 2022, the U.S. government forced Polyakov to sell his stake due to national security concerns.
Despite these hurdles, Firefly has secured key contracts, including two additional CLPS missions. The next, planned for 2026, will land on the far side of the moon, while a third, scheduled for 2028, will study the Gruithuisen Domes, a mysterious volcanic region. Firefly is also developing a larger rocket and a new spacecraft series, Elytra, for future orbital missions.
The moon remains a focal point for exploration. Another CLPS mission is set to land this Thursday, with Intuitive Machines’ second lander, Athena, targeting the lunar south pole. Additionally, a Japanese lander, Resilience, launched alongside Blue Ghost but is taking a slower, fuel-efficient route and is expected to enter lunar orbit in May.
