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Firefly's Blue Ghost Mission 1 successfully launches from Florida's Space Coast, moon landing expected March 2

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Published  January 15, 2025 1:37pm EST
NASA
FOX 35 Orlando

SpaceX launches moon landers on Falcon 9 rocket

SpaceX launches moon landers on Falcon 9 rocket

The Brief

    • NASA’s newest mission to the moon successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center early Wednesday morning.
    • Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1 is bringing the Blue Ghost lunar lander with 10 NASA science investigations to the surface of the moon.
    • Some of the 10 science projects on board will study lunar drilling capabilities and try to reduce the impact of lunar dust during landings. Some of the data they’re collecting is also focused on the earth. 

ORLANDO, Fla. - NASA’s newest mission to the moon successfully launched from the Kennedy Space Center early Wednesday morning.

Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1 is bringing the Blue Ghost lunar lander to the surface of the moon. The lander hitched a ride aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and is currently carrying 10 NASA science investigations.

Original article: Firefly's Blue Ghost lander to carry 10 NASA science investigations: Set to launch Wednesday morning

Blue Ghost Mission 1: The plan

Timeline:

  • The Blue Ghost will spend around 45 days traveling to the moon. About 25 days in Earth orbit, 4 days in lunar transit, and 16 days in lunar orbit.
  • As the Blue Ghost makes its final autonomous descent, which should take about an hour, it will start with a Descent Orbit Insertion burn that will place the Blue Ghost on its descent trajectory.
  • Once the lander is on the moon's surface, it will operate 10 NASA instruments for a complete lunar day, which is equivalent to about 14 Earth days.
  • Just before lunar night, Blue Ghost will capture HD imagery of a total eclipse from the Moon where the Earth blocks the sun.
  • At the end of the mission, Blue Ghost will capture the lunar sunset before operating several hours into the lunar night.

Blue Ghost is expected to land near Mons Latreille, a volcanic feature within Mare Crisium — a 340-mile-wide (550-kilometer) basin on the Moon’s northeastern side.

Some of the 10 science projects on board will study lunar drilling capabilities and try to reduce the impact of lunar dust during landings. Some of the data they’re collecting is also focused on the earth. 

"On behalf of Firefly, we want to thank SpaceX for a spot-on deployment in our target orbit," said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. "The mission is now in the hands of the unstoppable Firefly team. After all the testing conducted and mission simulations completed, we’re now fully focused on execution as we look to complete our on-orbit operations, softly touch down on the lunar surface, and pave the way for humanity’s return to the Moon."

As part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission One lander will carry 10 NASA science and technology instruments to the Moon’s near side. Credit: Firefly Aerospace

What is the purpose of Blue Ghost Mission 1?

What we know: Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 is part of NASA's CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and the Artemis program. NASA has sent ten instruments aboard Firefly Aerospace's first lunar delivery. 

These science payloads and technology demonstrations aim to enhance our knowledge of the Moon and planetary processes, while laying the groundwork for future crewed missions to the Moon and beyond.

What they're saying:

"We learned so many lessons during the Apollo era and the technological and science demonstrations on board Firefly's Blue Ghost Mission 1 will be critical in our ability to not only discover more science, but also to ensure the safety of the spacecraft, instruments and most importantly, the safety of our astronauts", Dr. Nicola Fox, the Associate Administrator for NASA's Science Mission Directorate, said during a news conference Tuesday afternoon. 

RELATED: When to watch the sky in 2025: Florida Space Coast rocket launch schedule

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander getting encapsulated in SpaceX’s rocket fairing ahead of the planned liftoff for 1:11 a.m. EST Jan. 15 from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Credit: SpaceX

What is Firefly Aerospace?

Firefly aerospace is a Texas-based company that works on end-to-end space transportation. They create small- to medium-lift launch vehicles, lunar Landers and orbital vehicles that provide affordable, responsive and reliable space access for government and commercial customers. 

They use advanced carbon composite structures, patented propulsion technologies and common components in their vehicles that they say allow them to scale efficiencies, improve reliability and deliver payloads at a lower cost.

The company won $179 million from NASA to build the Blue Ghost lunar lander as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.

The Source: The information in this article comes from NASA's website, Firefly's website and the news conference NASA held on Tuesday afternoon.

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