Firefly’s Lunar Success: The company achieved a historic moon landing Sunday, successfully guiding the Blue Ghost spacecraft to the lunar surface. NASA cheered as the uncrewed mission touched down at 3:35 a.m. ET. Austin, Texas, celebrated Firefly’s Lunar Success.
The compact, four-legged Blue Ghost landed near Mare Crisium. Ten scientific payloads were carried by it for NASA. A gentle descent was made at two miles per hour. Mission control cheered when they confirmed lunar gravity.
Firefly Aerospace became the second private firm to nail a moon landing. They claimed a “fully successful” soft landing, surpassing Intuitive Machines’ tilted effort last year. This milestone added to the past successes of five nations.
Blue Ghost completed a 2.8-million-mile journey. The trip began atop a SpaceX rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. The spacecraft completed three orbits around Earth before reaching the moon. Firefly’s Lunar Success kicked off a 14-day mission.
A Crowded Moon Race
Missions like this enable low-budget lunar research. NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) backed Firefly with $101 million. NASA hopes to develop a private lunar market. Firefly’s Lunar Success paves the way for 2027 astronaut missions.
China’s moon plans are advancing rapidly. Japan and India also emerged as key lunar players. Trump shifted the U.S. space focus toward Mars, NASA’s Janet Petro said. Lunar goals are still key, she added.
Blue Ghost uses solar panels for power. Lunar soil is studied by Honeybee Robotics’ tools onboard. NASA’s Langley camera analyzes dust plumes. Firefly Aerospace sets the stage for Artemis, NASA confirmed.
Source: Yahoo