American Companies Achieve Lunar Landing Milestone, Ushering in New Era of Space Exploration
In a momentous achievement that marks a paradigm shift in space exploration, a second American company has successfully landed a spacecraft on the moon, a feat previously exclusive to government space agencies like NASA. The uncrewed lander, christened Blue Ghost, touched down on the lunar surface in the early hours of Sunday, completing a journey of millions of miles that spanned over six weeks.
Firefly Aerospace, a Texas-based company responsible for the construction and operation of the spacecraft, was contracted by NASA to transport a suite of scientific instruments to the moon. These instruments are intended to study the lunar environment in preparation for the planned return of astronauts in the coming years.
"This incredible achievement demonstrates how NASA and American companies are leading the way in space exploration for the benefit of all," said NASA Acting Administrator Janet Petro in a press release. "We have already learned many lessons – and the technological and science demonstrations onboard Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 will improve our ability to not only discover more science, but to ensure the safety of our spacecraft instruments for future human exploration – both in the short term and long term."
The successful landing of Blue Ghost precedes by a mere four days the anticipated arrival of another uncrewed American spacecraft, built and operated by Intuitive Machines. This Texas-based space exploration company etched its name in history last year when its spacecraft, Odysseus, became the first commercially-built lunar lander from the U.S. to reach the moon.
Intuitive Machines’ second lander, Athena, is scheduled to touch down on the lunar south pole on Thursday, March 6, following its launch from Florida on February 26.
The resurgence of lunar exploration is fueled by the ambitious Artemis campaign, which aims to land astronauts on the moon as early as 2027. This mission would mark the return of Americans to the lunar surface after a hiatus of five decades, since the conclusion of NASA’s Apollo era in the 1970s.
However, NASA’s renewed interest in the moon transcends mere nostalgia. The return of astronauts to the moon, facilitated by uncrewed landers like Blue Ghost and Athena, serves as a crucial stepping stone for future missions to Mars. The moon would serve as a fueling and preparation hub for the long journey to the Red Planet.
Blue Ghost’s descent to the lunar surface commenced after spending over two weeks in lunar orbit. The lander, standing over six feet tall, executed a controlled descent over approximately one hour, culminating in a successful landing at 3:45 a.m. EST. The landing was livestreamed by both NASA and Firefly Aerospace.
Designed with shock-absorbing feet, a low center of mass, and a wide footprint, the spacecraft is powered by three solar panels. The landing site is situated near a volcanic feature known as Mons Latreille, located within Mare Crisium, a 300-mile-wide basin in the northeast quadrant of the moon’s near side. This basin is believed to have formed from early volcanic eruptions and subsequently flooded with basaltic lava over three billion years ago.
Blue Ghost embarked on its journey aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on January 15, launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, from the historic launch pad 39A, the same site used for the Apollo moon mission launches.
Since its launch, Firefly Aerospace has maintained regular online updates on the mission, which it has aptly named "Ghost Riders in the Sky," after the popular country song. These updates include a collection of stunning images and videos captured by the lander throughout its 45-day expedition.
On January 27, Blue Ghost captured the first images of the moon in the distance, days after a critical engine burn to raise its apogee, the point at which it is furthest from Earth in its orbit. This maneuver was essential in preparing the spacecraft to enter the moon’s orbit.
The lander also observed and documented the Earth eclipsing the moon and, on February 3, beamed back a captivating "selfie" with Earth as the backdrop. Shortly after entering lunar orbit on February 13, Blue Ghost captured striking images of the moon.
Last week, Blue Ghost provided a glimpse of the moon’s far side, a region not visible from Earth, capturing images of our planet rising and setting behind the moon. These images were shared by Firefly Aerospace following the spacecraft’s maneuvers to gradually approach the lunar surface in preparation for landing.
Firefly Aerospace’s mission focuses on delivering and testing a range of NASA’s scientific instruments designed to study the lunar environment prior to the return of humans. The ten instruments carried by Blue Ghost constitute the largest delivery to date under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, or CLPS.
The CLPS program enables NASA to explore lower-cost methods for financing lunar deliveries, eliminating the need to develop spacecraft in-house, a practice historically employed by the space agency.
The technology onboard will be utilized for a complete lunar day, equivalent to approximately 14 Earth days. The instruments carried by Blue Ghost, many of which were tested during transit to the moon, are designed for tasks such as lunar subsurface drilling, sample collection, X-ray imaging, and dust mitigation. The data collected by NASA is expected to provide insights into the impact of space weather and other cosmic forces on Earth.
Furthermore, Blue Ghost plans to capture high-definition imagery of a total eclipse as the Earth blocks the sun just before a lunar sunset ushers in the frigid lunar night. The total lunar eclipse will be visible to millions from Earth on March 13-14.
