Unveiling the Cosmos: Insider Insights on NASA’s Groundbreaking Mission

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Firefly’s lunar lander, Blue Ghost, may become the second American vehicle to touch down on the moon in fifty years, following Intuitive Machines’ NASA-supported mission in 2024.

Almost a week ago, a private lunar lander took off on a nearly 7-week expedition to reach the lunar surface.

This launch may not have generated the same level of excitement as last year’s monumental lunar landing, which attracted attention not only because America had not touched down a vehicle on the moon for many years but also because a private U.S. company had never achieved such a feat.

However, last week’s launch represented a pivotal advancement towards allowing NASA to dispatch astronauts back to the moon in upcoming years under its Artemis program – the first lunar initiative since the Apollo missions concluded in 1972.

The preceding landing in February 2024, executed by the Houston-based space entity Intuitive Machines, contributed to NASA’s decision to invest significantly in utilizing more commercial companies to construct and send their own vehicles to the moon on the agency’s behalf.

And this is precisely what a spacecraft engineered and managed by Texas-based Firefly Aerospace intends to achieve during its 60-day mission to Earth’s sole natural satellite. Upon arrival, Firefly’s craft is set to deliver and assist in the testing of a suite of NASA’s scientific instruments.

Just under a week after its launch, here’s everything pertinent about Firefly’s lunar lander, Blue Ghost, which might signify the second American vehicle to land on the moon in fifty years.

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When did the Blue Ghost lunar lander launch?

The lander, labeled “Blue Ghost,” launched on Jan. 15 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket during a 1:11 a.m. EST takeoff from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida.

Within roughly an hour, Blue Ghost detached from the Falcon 9 rocket onto an elliptical orbit around Earth before establishing a connection with Firefly’s mission operations center in Cedar Park, Texas. By 5:30 a.m., mission controllers were able to execute health assessments on the spacecraft.

Firefly provides updates after the first week of the journey

The day following the spacecraft’s launch into orbit, it began transmitting data back to Earth, including a video taken from its upper deck showing Earth eclipsing the sun, as reported by Firefly, which has been providing mission updates.

By Saturday, Blue Ghost ignited its engines for the first time – a capability to help adjust its flight path.

The preparations for the maneuver…began Friday when Blue Ghost’s propellant and fluid systems were initialized with a bi-propellant mixture of fuel and oxidizer within the engines. While not crucial, the preliminary engine burn aimed to fine-tune Blue Ghost’s propulsion system in preparation for an essential burn this week, which will elevate its apogee – the spot at which it is farthest from Earth in its journey around the planet – as it readies for entry into the moon’s orbit.

As of Monday, five days into the journey, Blue Ghost had covered 22,000 miles, as reported by Firefly.

Firefly showcases images of lunar vehicle in orbit

Not long after commencing its spaceflight, Blue Ghost managed to take its first picture from orbit.

The photo, taken and shared on the same day of the launch, reveals the upper deck of the lander, its antenna, and NASA’s X-ray imager meant for operations on the lunar surface.

A photograph taken by SpaceX also presents a view of the lunar lander prior to its separation from the Falcon 9 rocket while Earth hovers far below.

What is the Firefly lunar lander?

Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander measures over 6 feet tall and nearly 12 feet wide. Equipped with three solar panels, the spacecraft is engineered to assure a successful landing on the moon’s surface using shock-absorbing feet, a low center of mass, and a broad footprint, as per the company’s information.

What is the Blue Ghost mission?

Blue Ghost is en route to the moon to deploy a range of NASA’s scientific instruments to investigate the moon’s atmosphere prior to human return.

The $93 million mission, titled Ghost Riders in the Sky, is one of several robotic lunar initiatives that NASA has contracted Firefly to fulfill under the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program or CLPS. This program permits NASA to finance private enterprises for missions it previously would have conducted independently to reduce expenses.

NASA representatives assert that the 10 instruments being delivered to the moon as part of the Blue Ghost 1 mission represent the largest delivery under the CLPS to date.

When will the Firefly spacecraft arrive at the moon?

The Blue Ghost spacecraft is slated to attempt a lunar landing on Sunday, March 2, after approximately 45 days orbiting both Earth and the moon.

The extended orbital phase will enable mission teams to conduct routine health assessments, fine-tune the propulsion system for key maneuvers, and initiate payload scientific operations, according to Firefly. During the journey, instruments aboard the vehicle will track GPS signals to extend communications to the lunar ground and will commence testing the onboard computer’s resilience to radiation while in the vacuum of space.

Where will the Blue Ghost vehicle touch down?

The uncrewed vehicle will subsequently land close to a volcanic area known as Mons Latreille within Mare Crisium – a 300-mile-wide crater located in the northeast section of the moon’s near side. It is believed that Mare Crisium was formed by ancient volcanic activity and flooded with basaltic lava more than 3 billion years ago.

What activities will the lunar lander perform on the moon’s surface?

Firefly’s team intends to operate the 10 NASA instruments for an entire lunar day, which is about 14 Earth days.

The instruments that the lander transports are designed for tasks such as lunar subsurface drilling, sample gathering, X-ray imaging, and dust management. The information that NASA aims to gather is also expected to shed light on how space weather and other cosmic influences impact Earth.

The Blue Ghost also aims to capture high-definition images of a lunar sunset, along with a total eclipse just prior to the cold lunar night as the Earth obscures the sun.

Stay informed about the mission

 Firefly will provide frequent mission updates on social media platform X and on the Blue Ghost Mission 1 website.

Eric Lagatta covers breaking and trending news for USA TODAY. You can reach him at elagatta@gannett.com