A US company has made history by successfully landing its spacecraft on the Moon, achieving a significant milestone as only the second private mission to do so and the first to land upright.
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 touched down at approximately 3:34 AM Eastern Time near Mons Latreille, a volcanic formation located in Mare Crisium on the Moon’s near side. The mission control team in Austin, Texas, erupted in cheers as an engineer joyfully announced, “Y’all stuck the landing, we’re on the Moon.”
CEO Jason Kim confirmed the spacecraft’s stability, standing upright—a notable improvement over the first private landing, which occurred sideways last February.
“This is a remarkable achievement,” said a representative from NASA’s Science Mission Directorate. The first images captured by the lander showcase the rocky terrain it had to autonomously navigate, slowing from thousands of miles per hour to just two mph for a safe touchdown.
Part of a NASA-industry partnership aimed at reducing costs and supporting the Artemis program, which seeks to return astronauts to the Moon, the mission, nicknamed “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” launched on January 15 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. En route to the lunar surface, the spacecraft captured breathtaking visuals of Earth and the Moon during its 2.8 million mile journey.
The Blue Ghost lander carries 10 scientific instruments, including a lunar soil analyzer and a radiation-tolerant computer. It aims to operate throughout a lunar day, which spans 14 Earth days, and is anticipated to capture high-definition images of a total eclipse on March 14, when Earth obstructs the Sun from the Moon’s horizon. Additionally, it will document a lunar sunset on March 16, providing valuable insights into the phenomena of dust levitation on the Moon’s surface.
In an exciting continuation of lunar exploration, Blue Ghost’s arrival will precede the March 6 landing of Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission, featuring the Athena lander.
Intuitive Machines previously marked a milestone in February 2024 by becoming the first private company to achieve a soft lunar landing. However, their initial success was overshadowed when the lander tipped over upon impact, curtailing its solar power generation. Learning from this experience, Intuitive Machines has implemented key upgrades to its hexagonal-shaped lander, designed with an improved profile that towers at the height of an adult giraffe.
Athena launched on Wednesday, pursuing a more direct trajectory toward Mons Mouton, the southernmost lunar landing site attempted to date. Its payload includes three rovers, a drill for ice search, and an innovative hopping drone designed for exploring the rugged lunar landscape.
The complexities of lunar landing are underscored by the absence of an atmosphere, which renders parachutes ineffective. Instead, precise thruster burns are necessary to control descent. Prior to Intuitive Machines’ success, only five national space agencies had managed lunar landings: the Soviet Union, the United States, China, India, and Japan.
The United States is now leveraging NASA’s $2.6 billion Commercial Lunar Payload Services program to normalize private lunar missions. However, speculation surrounds the future of NASA’s Artemis program, suggesting potential scaling back in favor of Mars exploration, reflecting high-profile goals set by national leadership.
