Firefly ($FLY) obtained an extra $10M from NASA for delivering additional knowledge and pictures on its Blue Ghost Mission 1 lunar mission this yr.
All informed, the mission collected almost 120 gigabytes of knowledge throughout each its 45-day trek to the Moon and its two weeks on the lunar floor.
Treasure trove: The further knowledge bought by the area company contains:
- The first HD photographs of a photo voltaic eclipse and a sundown from a vantage level on the lunar floor.
- Comms knowledge, together with transmission speeds from the lander’s antennas.
- Performance knowledge for Blue Ghost, together with propulsion specs throughout descent.
- Science knowledge collected by onboard payloads, that went past the scope of the unique context.
Heat wave: The lander was additionally in a position to seize temperature knowledge throughout a 500 levels Fahrenheit spectrum—from 230 levels Fahrenheit on the hottest a part of the lunar day to -275 levels Fahrenheit throughout the photo voltaic eclipse’s totality. The lander was in a position to survive such a wide variety of temperatures partially due to what the Firefly crew dubbed “Operation Parasol,” which noticed the lander use its antenna for shade towards excessive warmth.
The crew collected knowledge to study extra about points corresponding to how daylight reflecting off the lunar floor can warmth up the lander, and the way lunar mud impacts lander efficiency—issues that will likely be crucial for long-term operations on the Moon.
What’s subsequent: Firefly is simply getting began with its work underneath NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. Most not too long ago, Firefly received a $176.7M contract for a mission to the lunar south pole in 2029—which can even put a spacecraft in orbit across the Moon, to enhance comms throughout the mission.
Up subsequent on the lunar launch manifest is Blue Ghost Mission 2, which is predicted to land on the far facet of the Moon no sooner than subsequent yr.