Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 successfully lands on the Moon

With 10 NASA instruments onboard

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 has achieved a significant milestone, successfully landing on the Moon on March 2, 2025. The American lander touched down near Mons Latreille, a volcanic feature within the Mare Crisium basin, in the northeast quadrant of the Moon’s near side. The lunar touchdown is significant for Firefly Aerospace and NASA’s broader lunar exploration efforts.

The Blue Ghost lander is upright and stable, with all systems operating as planned. The landing is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and is the first CLPS delivery for Firefly. This is also the company’s inaugural Moon landing, further cementing its role in NASA’s Artemis programme, which aims to return humans to the lunar surface.

The lander, carrying a suite of 10 NASA science and technology instruments, is set to operate for approximately one lunar day, equivalent to 14 Earth days. These instruments are designed to conduct various science and technology demonstrations, including testing lunar subsurface drilling technology, collecting regolith samples, and assessing radiation-tolerant computing.

The data gathered will be vital in improving the safety of future lunar missions and supporting NASA’s ambitions for long-term human exploration of the Moon and Mars.

Janet Petro, NASA’s acting Administrator, said: “This incredible achievement demonstrates how NASA and American companies are leading the way in space exploration for the benefit of all. We have already learned many lessons – and the technological and science demonstrations onboard Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 will improve our ability to discover more science and ensure the safety of our spacecraft instruments for future human exploration – both in the short term and long term.”

Since launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 15, 2025, Blue Ghost has travelled over 2.8 million miles, transmitted over 27GB of data, and carried out multiple science operations.

One of the most notable achievements during the journey was the successful signal tracking from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) at an unprecedented distance of 246,000 miles from Earth. This feat demonstrates NASA’s ability to use Earth-based positioning systems at the Moon. Other operations included radiation-resistant computing in the Van Allen Belts and magnetic field measurements with the Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder payload.

Nicky Fox, associate administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate, highlighted the importance of these payloads for future exploration. “The science and technology we send to the Moon now helps prepare the way for future NASA exploration and long-term human presence to inspire the world for generations to come,” she said.

“We’re sending these payloads by working with American companies – which supports a growing lunar economy.”

In the coming days, teams will aim to capture imagery of the lunar sunset and study how lunar dust behaves under solar influences during lunar dusk. This phenomenon, first documented by Apollo 17 astronaut Eugene Cernan, could provide crucial insights into lunar surface conditions.

Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace, expressed gratitude for NASA’s trust in their capabilities: “On behalf of our entire team, I want to thank NASA for entrusting Firefly as their lunar delivery provider. Blue Ghost’s successful Moon landing has laid the groundwork for the future of commercial exploration across cislunar space.”

Five vendors were awarded 11 lunar deliveries under CLPS, including missions to the lunar South Pole. More than 50 instruments are set to be deployed on the Moon by 2028. The cumulative maximum contract value for existing CLPS contracts stands at $2.6 billion, underscoring the importance of private industry in supporting NASA’s lunar exploration goals.

Image: First image captured by Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander, taken shortly after confirmation of a successful landing at Mare Crisium on the Moon’s near side on March 2, 2025. Credit: Firefly Aerospace