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In a groundbreaking achievement for private space exploration, the Blue Ghost spacecraft has successfully landed on the Moon, marking a significant milestone as the first commercial lander to do so. This accomplishment was announced by Firefly Aerospace, a Texas-based aerospace company, which reported that the lander had made a “soft” landing on the lunar surface in a stable orientation.
While Blue Ghost is technically the second private craft to touch down on the Moon, the first was Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lander, which had landed last February. However, that mission ended prematurely as the lander became unstable and toppled over shortly after making contact.
With a successful landing now under its belt, the Blue Ghost will engage in various research tasks over a lunar day, equivalent to about two weeks on Earth. Its planned experiments incorporate lunar subsurface drilling, sample collection, X-ray imaging, and dust mitigation studies. These initiatives are designed to gather environmental data and evaluate technologies critical for NASA’s future crewed missions to the Moon, as well as potential expeditions to Mars. Additionally, Blue Ghost is set to capture detailed images of a total eclipse on March 14th, during which Earth will obstruct the sun as seen from the lunar surface.
“With the most challenging phase completed, Firefly is eager to conduct over 14 days of surface operations, further enhancing commercial capabilities in cislunar space,” remarked Shea Ferring, Chief Technology Officer at Firefly Aerospace. “We express our gratitude to NASA for their confidence in our team, and we anticipate providing additional scientific data that will aid future human exploration of the Moon and beyond.”
Blue Ghost reached its lunar target after covering a distance of 2.8 million miles in 45 days, during which it transmitted over 27 GB of data back to Earth. Following this extensive journey, the spacecraft spent two weeks in orbit around the Moon before making its landing on March 2nd, achieving a final touchdown just 100 meters from its designated target within the expansive Mare Crisium region.
“This remarkable milestone reflects the collaborative efforts of NASA and private American companies at the forefront of space exploration for the greater good of humanity,” stated acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro. “We have garnered numerous insights already, and the technological and scientific demonstrations aboard Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 are critical for enhancing our scientific understanding and ensuring the reliability of our spacecraft for future human exploration, both in the near and distant horizons.”
Source
www.theverge.com