A privately built spacecraft called Blue Ghost, developed by Texas-based company Firefly Aerospace, is set to attempt a landing on the moon, aiming to become the second privately built vehicle to successfully achieve this feat. The spacecraft has been in orbit around the moon for two weeks and is expected to touch down on the lunar surface early Sunday at around 3:34 a.m. ET. The mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, with Blue Ghost carrying 10 NASA science instruments to study the lunar surface and gather data.
The upcoming landing attempt by Firefly Aerospace is the first in a series of robotic missions to the moon in 2025. Another Texas-based company, Intuitive Machines, recently made history with a successful moon landing in February 2024. Additionally, a Japanese company, ispace, has launched a lander and rover to the moon on the same rocket as Blue Ghost.
The Blue Ghost lander aims to touch down in a basin on the near side of the moon, where an ancient asteroid impact is believed to have occurred. The spacecraft has captured footage of the far side of the moon and will be broadcasting a livestream of its descent to the lunar surface on NASA TV. The mission, funded by NASA, is part of the Artemis program, which aims to eventually return humans to the moon. The data gathered by Blue Ghost will help scientists better understand the moon’s south polar region, where future crewed missions are expected to land.
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