About the size of a compact car, the four-legged lander carries 10 scientific payloads and used 21 thrusters to carefully navigate its descent, landing in a vast basin in the northeastern corner of the moon’s Earth-facing side.
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander has made a successful landing on the moon, marking a significant milestone for private space exploration.
About the size of a compact car, the four-legged lander carries 10 scientific payloads and utilized 21 thrusters to guide its descent, ultimately touching down near an ancient volcanic vent on Mare Crisium, a vast basin located in the northeastern part of the moon’s Earth-facing side.
The lander is equipped with a vacuum to collect moon dust for analysis and a drill capable of measuring temperatures as deep as 10 feet. It also carries a device designed to combat the abrasive lunar dust, which was a major issue for NASA’s Apollo astronauts, who struggled with it caking onto their spacesuits and equipment.
The demonstrations are expected to run for two weeks before the lunar daytime ends, prompting the lander to shut down.
With its smooth, upright landing, Firefly, a decade-old startup, becomes the first private company to successfully place a spacecraft on the moon without it crashing or tipping over. The lander was launched in mid-January.
Dr. Joel Kearns, NASA’s deputy associate administrator, noted that the landing site is of “great scientific interest” and a “very achievable place to land.”
He called this moment “one for the history books.”
Firefly now becomes the second private company to achieve a soft moon landing, following Houston-based Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lander, which made a somewhat uneven soft touchdown last year.
A “soft” moon landing refers to a controlled, low-speed descent that results in minimal damage to the vehicle. In contrast, a “hard landing” is a crash landing.
Only five countries have successfully achieved soft landings on the moon: the former Soviet Union, the US, China, India, and Japan.
Dr. Nicola Fox, from NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, explained, “We select our landing sites with great care. We aim to study the moon’s geological features and its interaction with the solar wind.”
She added that part of this mission will help pave the way for future space explorations and “prepare for the return of astronauts” to the moon.
**“A Sustainable Commercial Lunar Economy”**
Supported by NASA and its flagship Artemis moon program, private companies have become key players in the modern race to the moon. Firefly’s moonshot, a rising startup primarily focused on building rockets, is one of three lunar missions currently underway.
NASA paid $101 million (£80.3 million) for the delivery, along with an additional $44 million (£35 million) for the science and technology onboard.
Dr. Fox stated that one of the goals of this mission is to create “a sustainable commercial lunar economy, led by American companies.”
Two other companies’ landers are quickly following Blue Ghost, with the next one expected to reach the moon later this week.
