Firefly's 'Blue Ghost' mission successfully lands on Moon's surface

Nicknamed 'Ghost Riders in the Sky,' Blue Ghost Mission 1 follows just over a year after the first-ever commercial lunar landing

Private space firm Firefly Aerospace on Sunday announced the successful landing of its Blue Ghost Mission 1 on the Moon’s surface. The achievement marks the first fully successful commercial Moon landing in history, furthering Nasa’s partnership with private industry to advance lunar exploration.

 

“We have confirmation #BlueGhost stuck the landing! Firefly just became the first commercial company in history to achieve a fully successful Moon landing. This small step on the Moon represents a giant leap in commercial exploration. Congratulations to the entire Firefly team, our mission partners, and our @NASA customers for this incredible feat that paves the way for future missions to the Moon and Mars,” the company announced on X.

 

 

Nicknamed "Ghost Riders in the Sky," the mission follows just over a year after the first-ever commercial lunar landing. 

Journey to the Moon

 

Blue Ghost, roughly the size of a compact car, launched on January 15 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The lander tightened its lunar orbit on Sunday before executing its uncrewed touchdown near an ancient volcanic vent on Mare Crisium, a basin on the Moon’s Earth-facing side. 

 

Firefly’s mission was one of three active lunar missions, with Japan’s ispace and Houston-based Intuitive Machines also making advancements in the new space race.

 

Ahead of the landing, Firefly Aerospace had provided an update on the final descent phase, stating, “T-2 hours until #BlueGhost performs a Descent Orbit Insertion and begins her trajectory towards our final destination: the Moon's Mare Crisium. This 19-second burn will be performed on the far side of the Moon in a planned comms blackout. Once we regain signal about 20 minutes after the burn, our #GhostRiders will conduct a health check to confirm the road to Mare Crisium is clear.”

 

Scientific objectives

 

The lander is carrying 10 scientific instruments, including a lunar soil analyser, a radiation-tolerant computer, and an experiment testing the feasibility of using global satellite navigation for Moon travel. Blue Ghost will also capture a lunar sunset, helping scientists understand how dust levitates under solar influence, an effect first observed by Apollo astronaut Eugene Cernan.

 

The mission aligns with Nasa’s strategy of using private companies for lunar exploration under the Artemis programme. Firefly has secured a $101 million Nasa contract for this mission. The lander will operate for 14 days before the frigid lunar night renders it inactive.