A private lunar module, named Blue Ghost, successfully landed on the Moon on Sunday, carrying essential tools for NASA’s ongoing research. This event marks a significant step for private companies aiming to develop a business presence on the Moon in anticipation of renewed crewed missions.
The Blue Ghost module, operated by Firefly Aerospace, autonomously descended from lunar orbit, targeting the slopes of an ancient volcanic crater in the Moon’s northeastern quadrant. Confirmation of the landing was provided by the company’s Mission Control, located near Austin, Texas, approximately 225,000 miles from the lunar surface.
“Everyone made the landing. We’re on the Moon,” declared Will Coogan, the chief engineer for the Blue Ghost module. With this successful vertical landing, Firefly Aerospace has made history as the first private entity to land a spacecraft on the Moon without crashing or tipping over. Historically, only five nations—Russia, the United States, China, India, and Japan—have accomplished this feat, highlighting the challenge this achievement represents.
Just half an hour after landing, Blue Ghost began transmitting images from the lunar surface, including an initial selfie, though it was somewhat obscured by sunlight.
Other lunar modules from different companies are nearby, with another landing expected later this week. Blue Ghost, named after a rare species of firefly, benefits from its low profile and stability, measuring 2 meters tall and 3.5 meters wide.
Launched from Florida in mid-January, this module transported ten experiments for NASA, with the agency investing $101 million for the delivery, along with an additional $44 million for scientific research and technology onboard. This mission is part of NASA’s commercial lunar delivery program designed to foster a competitive private lunar economy while exploring the terrain before sending astronauts back to the Moon later in the decade.
The experiments are set to operate for two weeks, after which the module will power down as the lunar day comes to an end. Among its tools are a vacuum for collecting lunar soil for analysis and a drill capable of measuring temperature up to three meters below the surface. It also carries a dust removal device, a crucial innovation to mitigate the abrasive lunar dust that plagued Apollo astronauts.
During its journey, Blue Ghost sent stunning images of Earth and detailed pictures of the Moon’s cratered surface after reaching lunar orbit. It also tracked signals from the U.S. GPS and Europe’s Galileo constellations, an encouraging step for navigation in future lunar explorations.
This successful landing is paving the way for increased activity on the Moon as more companies seek to claim a stake in lunar enterprise. Another module, a tall, slender device developed by Intuitive Machines based in Houston, is scheduled to land on Thursday, targeting a location closer to the lunar south pole than their previous attempt.
Despite past challenges, including a module that failed after landing last year, this new effort by Intuitive Machines is part of the broader goal to re-establish America’s presence on the lunar surface since the conclusion of the Apollo program in 1972. Another module from the Japanese company ispace is still three months away from its lunar arrival, having taken a longer route.
Historically, the Moon has seen numerous failed attempts, evidenced by debris from various unsuccessful missions over the decades. NASA aims to maintain a pace of two private lunar landings each year while acknowledging that failure is a part of the process, as noted by Nicky Fox, the agency’s lead scientist.
Unlike the Apollo missions that benefited from extensive funding and experienced astronauts, today’s private companies operate on tighter budgets with robotic crafts that must achieve independent landings. Jason Kim, the CEO of Firefly, expressed satisfaction with the mission’s execution, stating proudly, “We’ve got lunar dust on our boots.”
