Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Prepares for Historic Lunar Landing

AUSTIN, Texas – Firefly Aerospace is set to make history with its Blue Ghost lunar lander, scheduled to attempt a soft landing on the Moon on Sunday, March 2. This mission follows a series of successful orbital maneuvers, including a critical 16-second burn that positioned the spacecraft in a near-circular low lunar orbit.

The Blue Ghost, which launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from Kennedy Space Center on January 15, successfully entered lunar orbit on February 13. Since then, the spacecraft has been adjusting its trajectory to prepare for landing, according to statements made by Firefly on the social media platform X.

“Blue Ghost’s third and final lunar orbit maneuver is complete! Early this morning, our #GhostRiders performed a 16-second burn with our RCS thrusters,” Firefly tweeted on February 24. A video accompanying the post showcased breathtaking views of the lunar surface and Earth, a reminder of the excitement surrounding this ambitious mission.

Prior to the descent attempt, Firefly plans to execute a 19-second Descent Orbit Insertion at a perilune distance of 100 kilometers. “Up next, we’ll perform a 19-second Descent Orbit Insertion to begin our descent to Blue Ghost’s final destination, Mare Crisium,” the company noted.

Mare Crisium, also known as the Sea of Crises, is a large ancient impact basin located on the Moon’s near side. The landing site offers a rich geological history and is expected to provide valuable data on lunar regolith—the layer of loose, fragmented material covering solid bedrock.

Blue Ghost is participating in NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which aims to foster partnerships with private companies to deliver science payloads to the Moon. The mission, dubbed “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” will be the company’s first under this program and will deploy a total of ten scientific investigations.

“Robotic deliveries like the Blue Ghost mission perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities on and around the Moon to prepare for astronaut missions,” NASA stated in its program overview. This mission is viewed as a critical step in advancing preparations for future human landings under NASA’s Artemis program, scheduled for 2027.

The Blue Ghost is aiming to become only the second private lunar lander to successfully soft-land on the Moon. It is poised to operate for about 14 Earth days, sufficient time to gather and transmit critical data before lunar night descends.

“We expect to capture a solar eclipse on March 14, where the Earth will block the sun from the Moon’s surface, casting Blue Ghost into shadow for about five hours,” said Joseph Marlin, deputy chief engineer for Blue Ghost. “We will also document the lunar sunset on March 16, during which we hope to observe and verify phenomena like dust levitation.”

The latest imagery uploaded by the Blue Ghost shows remarkable details of the Moon’s surface, including the far side, which is not observable from Earth. Firefly Aerospace continues to emphasize the scientific significance and exploratory value that the mission represents for lunar research.