In a major milestone for commercial spaceflight and lunar exploration, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 successfully touched down at 3:34 a.m. EST on Sunday, landing near Mons Latreille, a volcanic feature within the Mare Crisium basin on the Moon’s northeastern near side. This marks Firefly’s first lunar landing and a significant achievement for NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and Artemis campaign.

The Blue Ghost lander, which remains in an upright and stable configuration, carried 10 NASA science and technology payloads, designed to operate on the Moon for approximately one lunar day (14 Earth days). These instruments will conduct critical experiments to refine NASA’s future lunar and deep space exploration strategies.

A Giant Leap for Lunar Science & Exploration

Since its January 15 launch from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, Blue Ghost has traveled more than 2.8 million miles, transmitted over 27GB of scientific data, and performed groundbreaking technology demonstrations during its journey. Among the highlights:

  • The Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment successfully tracked global navigation satellite system (GNSS) signals at a record-breaking distance of 246,000 miles, demonstrating the feasibility of using Earth-based positioning systems on the Moon.
  • The Radiation-Tolerant Computer System payload operated through the Van Allen Belts, testing the resilience of computing hardware in extreme radiation environments.
  • The Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder payload recorded magnetic field changes, providing new insights into space weather and cosmic forces.

“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. “The technological and scientific demonstrations aboard Blue Ghost Mission 1 will not only expand our scientific knowledge but also pave the way for future human exploration, ensuring the safety of spacecraft and astronauts on upcoming missions.”

Next Steps: Lunar Surface Operations & Science Experiments

With its successful landing, Blue Ghost will now begin its 14-day surface mission, during which the onboard NASA instruments will:
✔️ Test lunar subsurface drilling technology
✔️ Collect and analyze Moon regolith (lunar soil)
✔️ Demonstrate lunar dust mitigation techniques
✔️ Advance radiation-tolerant computing systems
✔️ Refine global navigation satellite system capabilities for lunar use

Additionally, before payload operations conclude, the team will attempt to capture imagery of the lunar sunset and study how lunar dust behaves in low-gravity conditions, a phenomenon first documented by Apollo 17 astronaut Eugene Cernan. Blue Ghost is expected to continue operations briefly into the lunar night before mission completion.

“Blue Ghost’s successful Moon landing lays the groundwork for the future of commercial exploration across cislunar space,” said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. “We’re looking forward to over 14 days of surface operations to unlock valuable science data that will shape future missions to the Moon and Mars.”

NASA’s Expanding Lunar Economy & Future CLPS Missions

NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative is revolutionizing lunar exploration by contracting private companies for Moon deliveries, fueling a growing lunar economy. To date, NASA has awarded five vendors a total of 11 lunar deliveries, set to deploy over 50 instruments across different lunar locations, including the Moon’s South Pole.

Existing CLPS contracts are indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity agreements, with a maximum potential value of $2.6 billion through 2028. These efforts align with NASA’s Artemis goals, paving the way for sustained human presence on the Moon and future missions to Mars.

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 is just the beginning. The lessons learned from this mission will refine future lander designs, optimize robotic and human exploration strategies, and provide critical data to safeguard astronauts on long-duration deep-space missions.

With Firefly’s historic landing now complete, the next era of lunar exploration is officially underway.