Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost spacecraft has captured some stunning footage from 75 miles (120 kilometers) above the lunar surface as it gears up for its highly anticipated landing attempt on March 2.
Our #GhostRiders completed another lunar orbit maneuver with a 3 minute, 18 second burn early this morning. This maneuver moved the lander from a high elliptical orbit to a much lower elliptical orbit around the Moon. Shortly after the burn, Blue Ghost captured incredible footage… pic.twitter.com/ygyMVpaBW4
— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) February 18, 2025
In an update shared on X, Texas-based Firefly said the spacecraft completed another lunar orbit maneuver with a 3 minute, 18 second burn early on Tuesday, adding that it moved the lander from a high elliptical orbit to a much lower elliptical orbit around the moon.
It explained that during the spacecraft’s new orbit, the mission team will experience communication blackouts as Blue Ghost goes around the far side of the moon. “When on the near side, the team will continue to downlink data and finalize the plan for our next maneuver that will get Blue Ghost even closer to the lunar surface and keep us right on track for landing on March 2,” it said.
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The robotic landing mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, and is aiming to deliver 10 scientific investigations and technology demonstrations to support future human exploration of the moon under the Artemis program.
Key objectives include analyzing lunar regolith properties, studying the moon’s geophysical characteristics, investigating interactions between solar winds and Earth’s magnetic field, and evaluating the abilities of a global navigation satellite system.
Blue Ghost launched on January 15 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The spacecraft has already been sending back some incredible images, including this one of Earth.
The planned touchdown spot is close to a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille within Mare Crisium, a 500-kilometer-wide basin on the moon’s near side. The mission is designed to operate on the moon’s surface for about 14 Earth days, which is equal to one lunar day.
Not so many moons ago, Trevor moved from one tea-loving island nation that drives on the left (Britain) to another (Japan)…
See a stunning view of a eclipse in space captured by the Blue Ghost mission
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost mission, launched earlier this month on a mission to the moon, has captured stunning video of the Earth eclipsing the sun as seen from space. The Blue Ghost lander is currently in orbit around the Earth, adjusting its trajectory so it can head toward the moon over the next several weeks. And while it is there, it has been collecting data using its science instruments and testing out its communication system.
“5 days into our mission and we’ve traveled 220,000 miles while downlinking 1.4 GB of data!” Firefly announced earlier this week. “There’s a long road ahead, but our #GhostRiders have already accomplished so much!”
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Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost mission launches to the moon
A moon lander from Firefly Aerospace was launched this morning carrying a variety of NASA science instruments and technology demonstrations. The Blue Ghost mission was launched by a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at 1:11 a.m. ET today, Wednesday January 15.
The aim is for the mission to perform a soft landing on the moon. If successful it will be just the second such landing ever by a private company, following the Intuitive Machines Odyssey landing last year. These two landings are part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which aims to have companies deliver NASA science to the moon ahead of planned human exploration there for the Artemis mission.
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How to watch Firefly launch its Blue Ghost mission to the moon on Tuesday night
This week will feature a historic event as Firefly Aerospace launches its first mission to the moon. The Blue Ghost mission aims to put a lander on the moon carrying NASA science experiments, as part of NASA’s efforts to get private companies involved in lunar exploration. If the landing succeeds, it will be just the second soft lunar landing by a private company, following the Intuitive Machines Odyssey lander last year.
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost mission will launch late at night on Tuesday, January 14, or Wednesday, January 15. Using a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, the Blue Ghost will launch from Launch Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The launch will be liveistreamed by NASA, and you can watch it either on YouTube or by using the video embedded below:
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