US firm’s lunar lander Blue Ghost touches down on moon surface with NASA payload
Launched as part of NASA’s CLPS initiative and Artemis campaign, the lander carried a suite of NASA science and technology payloads to Mons Latreille, a vast basin on the moon’s northeast quadrant.
As part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative involving private aerospace companies delivering payloads to the moon’s surface, Texas-based Firefly Aerospace’s private lunar lander—carrying a drill, vacuum and other experiments for NASA—successfully touched down on the moon at 3:34 am on Sunday.
Dubbed Blue Ghost Mission 1, the module delivered a suite of NASA science and technology cargo near Mons Latreille, a volcanic feature within Mare Crisium—a vast basin over 300 miles wide on the moon’s northeast quadrant. Confirmation of the successful touchdown came from Firefly Aerospace’s Mission Control near Austin, after the lander completed its journey across 225,000 miles to the moon.
The Blue Ghost lander touched down in an upright and stable position, marking a successful moon delivery as part of NASA’s CLPS initiative and Artemis campaign. This mission is Firefly Aerospace’s first CLPS delivery and its inaugural lunar landing.