Coeur d’Alene’s Own: The Journey Behind a Groundbreaking Lunar Lander Launch

Chris Major, a native of Coeur d’Alene, is thrilled following the launch of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket featuring Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 lander from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida earlier this week. He acted as a lead investigator for the initiative.

As stated in a NASA announcement, “the lander will transport 10 NASA scientific investigations aimed at enhancing our comprehension of the Moon’s environment and assisting in preparations for future human missions to the lunar surface, in alignment with the agency’s Moon to Mars exploration strategy.”

Firefly’s Blue Ghost is anticipated to touch down on the moon in March, where it will devote 14 days gathering data regarding the lunar surface. The information obtained could prove crucial for upcoming trips to the moon—manned or unmanned.

“It was exceptionally flawless,” Major remarked. “There were no cancellations, no delays, and no problems.”

The launch site held particular importance, as it was the same launchpad that witnessed the liftoff of the Apollo missions many years ago.

This technology is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program. Major indicated that this mission serves as a trial to determine if the technology can endure the journey to the moon, along with the lunar conditions upon the lander’s arrival.

At 28 years old, Major has consistently aspired to reach for the stars. Currently residing and employed in Bozeman, Mont., as a principal engineer at Resilient Computing, he possesses a Ph.D. in electrical engineering from Montana State University.

His fascination with space technology ignited during his undergraduate studies, when he became deeply involved in Montana State’s Space Science and Engineering curriculum. He later formulated his dissertation as a Ph.D. candidate focusing on fault tolerance in space computing systems. This research has continued at Resilient Computing, which aims to develop hardware capable of enduring intense radiation in outer space.