An American startup named Firefly Aerospace successfully landed its Blue Ghost robotic spacecraft in a crater on the moon’s near side early Sunday morning. The company’s achievement marks a significant milestone as very few countries, companies, and organizations have been successful in soft landing on the moon in the 21st century.
The Blue Ghost lander touched down in Mare Crisium, a flat plain formed from lava inside a large crater on the moon’s near side. It is carrying a variety of scientific and experimental payloads, including 10 for NASA as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Service (CLPS) mission. If successful, NASA will pay Firefly $101.5 million for delivering the payloads to the lunar surface.
The mission’s journey to the moon has been mostly smooth, with the spacecraft performing nearly perfectly since launch. Although some small glitches occurred along the way, they were quickly addressed by mission controllers. The spacecraft is expected to stay operational on the lunar surface for about 14 Earth days until lunar sunset.
Another lunar lander, Resilience, built by Ispace of Japan, was launched alongside Blue Ghost on the same SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Resilience is on a longer, more fuel-efficient route to the moon and is expected to enter lunar orbit in early May. Firefly’s successful mission reaffirms its position as a prominent player in the private space exploration industry and opens up new possibilities for scientific research and exploration on the moon.
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