Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lunar lander is set to touch down near Mare Crisium on the Moon's near side on March 2nd, as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and Artemis campaign. The lander captured a bright image of the Moon's South Pole through its top-deck cameras during its journey. Blue Ghost carries 10 NASA science investigations and technology demonstrations to study the lunar environment and test technologies for future lunar and Martian missions.
Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander captured a bright image of the Moon’s South Pole through the cameras on its top deck, while it travels to the Moon as part of NASA ’s CLPS initiative and Artemis campaign.
With a suite of NASA science and technology on board, Firefly Aerospace is targeting no earlier than 3:45 a.m. EST on Sunday, March 2, to land the Blue Ghost lunar lander on the Moon. Blue Ghost is slated to touch down near Mare Crisium, a plain in the northeast quadrant on the near side of the Moon, as part of NASA’s CLPS initiative and Artemis campaign to establish a long-term lunar presence.Accredited media interested in attending the in-person landing event hosted by Firefly in the Austin, Texas, area may request media credentials through Following the landing, NASA and Firefly will host a news conference to discuss the mission and science opportunities that lie ahead as they begin lunar surface operations. The time of the briefing will be shared after touchdown. Jan. 15, at 1:11 a.m. EST on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The lander is carrying a suite of 10 NASA scientific investigations and technology demonstrations, which will provide insights into the Moon’s environment and test technologies to support future astronauts landing safely on the lunar surface, as well as Mars. NASA continues to work with multiple American companies to deliver science and technology to the lunar surface through the agency’s CLPS initiative. This pool of companies may bid on contracts for end-to-end lunar delivery services, including payload integration and operations, launching from Earth, and landing on the surface of the Moon. NASA’s CLPS contracts are indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts with a cumulative maximum value of $2.6 billion through 2028. In February 2021, the agency awarded Firefly this delivery of 10 NASA science investigations and technology demonstrations to the Moon using its American-designed and -manufactured lunar lander for approximately $93.3 million . Through the Artemis campaign, commercial robotic deliveries will perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities on and around the Moon to help NASA explore in advance of Artemis Generation astronaut missions to the lunar surface, and ultimately crewed missions to Mars.Let people know you’re following the mission on X, Facebook, and Instagram by using the hashtag #Artemis. You can also stay connected by following and tagging these accounts:
Blue Ghost Firefly Aerospace NASA Artemis CLPS Moon Landing Lunar Exploration Science Missions
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