Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Successfully Lands on the Moon

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander successfully touched down on the Moon on March 2, 2025, marking a significant achievement for the Texas-based startup. The lander descended from lunar orbit on autopilot, targeting the slopes of Mons Latreille near Mare Crisium, a region characterized by its ancient volcanic activity.

The successful landing was confirmed by mission control outside Austin, Texas, shortly after 3:34 a.m. EST (0834 GMT ). “You all stuck the landing. We’re on the moon,” said Will Coogan, chief engineer for the lander. This accomplishment makes Firefly the first private company to land a spacecraft on the Moon in an upright position, a feat that even some national space programs have failed to achieve.

“Firefly is literally and figuratively over the moon,” stated Firefly CEO Jason Kim. “Our Blue Ghost lunar lander now has a permanent home on the lunar surface.” The Blue Ghost, which stands at 6.6 feet tall and 11 feet wide, features a four-legged design for added stability during landing.

The lunar lander carried ten scientific instruments for NASA as part of its mission, which is aimed at demonstrating various technologies that will support future lunar exploration. This includes experiments on subsurface drilling, regolith sample collection, and lunar dust mitigation. The NASA contract totaled $101 million for delivery, plus an additional $44 million for the scientific payloads.

Ray Allensworth, Firefly’s spacecraft program director, noted that early data analysis suggested the lander successfully landed within its targeted 328-foot (100-meter) zone. Following its touchdown, Blue Ghost began sending images back to Earth, including some captivating views of the distant Earth.

The lander is expected to operate on the lunar surface for about two weeks, taking advantage of the lunar day, which lasts approximately 14 Earth days. During this time, it will also conduct various experiments aimed at gathering data vital for future manned missions to the Moon.

“The science and technology we send to the Moon now helps prepare the way for future NASA exploration and long-term human presence to inspire the world for generations to come,” said Nicky Fox, NASA’s associate administrator for science. “We’re sending these payloads by working with American companies—which supports a growing lunar economy.”

In addition to testing drilling technology, the Blue Ghost will attempt to capture high-definition images of a total lunar eclipse expected on March 14 and, two days later, photograph a lunar sunset while studying how lunar dust reacts in the presence of sunlight.

The successful Moon landing comes just two months after Blue Ghost launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on January 15. As part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, this mission is aimed at establishing a sustainable lunar economy and paving the way for upcoming astronaut missions.

Two additional lunar landers are also en route to the Moon. The Japanese ispace’s Resilience, which shares the launch vehicle with Blue Ghost, is expected to touch down later this year, while Intuitive Machines’ Athena lander is scheduled for landing on March 6.