Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Captures Stunning Lunar Sunrise

HAWTHORNE, Calif. — Firefly Aerospace‘s Blue Ghost lunar lander has successfully captured an images of sunrise on the moon, marking the start of its operations in a region known as Mare Crisium, or the Sea of Crises. The lander executed its touchdown on March 2, 2025, approximately 46 days after it was launched aboard a Falcon 9 rocket.

After landing near Mons Latreille, a prominent lunar peak, Blue Ghost began activating its scientific instruments and exploring its surroundings. “Rise and shine! Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander captured its first sunrise on the Moon, marking the beginning of the lunar day and the start of surface operations in its new home,” Firefly Aerospace wrote on the social media platform X.

The vivid images show the bright sun casting dramatic contrasts over the moon’s surface, highlighting shadowed craters and uneven terrain. Firefly’s team is currently operating many of the 10 NASA payloads aboard the spacecraft, which are set to conduct experiments over the next two weeks, even during the lunar night.

Firefly CEO Jason Kim expressed enthusiasm over the mission’s success, stating, “Firefly is literally and figuratively over the moon. This bold, unstoppable team has proven we’re well equipped to deliver reliable, affordable access to the moon, and we won’t stop there.”

The Blue Ghost lander is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which aims to advance lunar exploration by contracting private companies to deliver scientific instruments. The mission, referred to as “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” will investigate several scientific areas, including lunar geology, composition, and heat flow.

Blue Ghost is carrying instruments designed for a variety of tasks, including testing new drilling technologies and capturing high-definition imagery of a total lunar eclipse on March 14. This event, where Earth will obscure the sun above the moon’s horizon, is expected to provide valuable data on lunar dust behavior. Additionally, on March 16, the lander aims to document the lunar sunset, a highlight that could enhance current understanding of solar influences on dust levitation.

The lander’s touchdown is a significant achievement within the increasingly competitive landscape of private lunar exploration. Within just over a year, a second private spacecraft, operated by Intuitive Machines, became the first to land successfully on the moon in February 2024.

In support of ongoing missions, the Blue Ghost has traveled approximately 2.8 million miles since its launch, downlinking significant data and demonstrating the potential for commercial lunar operations. As other companies prepare for their own lunar landings, Firefly continues to seek collaborations and partnerships in this evolving sector.