Firefly's Blue Ghost lunar lander has successfully completed its trans-lunar injection maneuver, marking its official departure from Earth and its journey towards the Moon. The lander is expected to reach its destination in about two weeks and will spend 16 days orbiting the Moon before attempting a soft touchdown. The mission carries 10 NASA payloads designed to study the lunar surface and gather data for future human missions.
Firefly 's lunar lander , Blue Ghost , has bid farewell to Earth as it embarks on a journey to the Moon. The lander successfully completed its trans-lunar injection maneuver on Wednesday, propelling it towards lunar orbit. This marks the official departure of the mission from Earth, which has spent three weeks in a highly elliptical orbit around our planet. Currently, Blue Ghost is approximately halfway through its lunar journey, scheduled to reach its destination in about two weeks.
The 'Ghost Riders in the Sky' mission will spend 16 days orbiting the Moon before attempting a soft touchdown on its surface. During its transit, Blue Ghost captured a mesmerizing image of Earth reflected off its solar panel, with the Moon visible on the horizon. The lander's X-band antenna and NASA's LEXI payload are also clearly visible in the photograph. Over the past four weeks, Blue Ghost has transmitted over 15 gigabytes of data, including information from NASA's science payloads.NASA has equipped Blue Ghost with 10 scientific payloads, poised to be deployed on the Moon as part of the agency's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. These payloads are designed to investigate the lunar surface and gather valuable data to support future human missions. One notable instrument, the Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies (SCALPSS) 1.1, developed by researchers at NASA's Langley Research Center, will utilize four cameras to capture images of Blue Ghost's rocket plumes and foot pads interacting with the lunar surface during its descent and landing. NASA assures that all 10 payloads are functioning optimally and ready to begin surface operations upon reaching the Moon. The landing site chosen for Blue Ghost is Mare Crisium, an ancient impact basin once filled with basaltic lava. The basalts in this region are estimated to be between 2.5 and 3.3 billion years old.
Firefly Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Moon Mission Trans-Lunar Injection Mare Crisium NASA Payloads Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS)
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