Irene Klotz of Aviation Week reports that Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost spacecraft successfully landed on the Moon on March 2, 2024, to begin a two-week NASA science mission. It will conduct experiments on lunar dust, the landscape, and radiation. Blue Ghost is the second mission funded by NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, following a failed landing by Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C in February. Klotz writes:
A spacecraft owned and operated by Firefly Aerospace touched down on the Moon early March 2 to begin a two-week science mission for NASA.
Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander fired its thrusters for 19 sec. to leave a 62-mi.-high lunar orbit about 2:31 a.m. EST and begin its descent to the surface. After a 30-min. coast and with the spacecraft flying about 12 mi. above the Moon, Blue Ghost began a final nine-min. braking burn, reducing its velocity from 5,577 ft. per second to 131 ft. per second. […]
Blue Ghost is the second mission financed by NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program to reach the lunar surface. Intuitive Machines’ Nova-C spacecraft touched down near the lunar south pole on Feb. 22, 2024, but due to a laser altimeter problem, the spacecraft landed hard, causing some of the landing gear to break on impact. The lander tipped over, cutting short its science mission.
Carrying 10 experiments for NASA, Firefly’s Blue Ghost lifted off onboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 on Jan. 5 to begin a 45-day journey to the Moon. […]
Two more landers are en route to the Moon. Intuitive Machine’s second Nova-C spacecraft is expected to attempt a landing March 6. Japan’s iSpace launched a small lander and rover as a secondary payload with Blue Ghost and is targeted to arrive in May or June.
Read more here.
