A robotic lunar lander built by Texas-based Firefly is set to attempt a soft landing on the moon. If successful, it will become only the second private-sector company ever to complete such a feat.
• A robotic lunar lander built by Texas-based company Firefly is set to attempt a soft landing on the moon, aiming to touch down at 2:34 a.m. CT . • The lander, called Blue Ghost, launched to orbit on a SpaceX rocket in January, spent some time in Earth’s orbit and has been maneuvering toward the moon ever since.
• If successful, Firefly will become only the second private-sector company ever to complete such a feat. Several have failed in the past. • Firefly is carrying out this mission as a contractor under NASA’s CLPS and Artemis programs, which aim to use robotic landers to scout the moon before humans return later this decade.Blue Ghost's version of"Blue Marble" captured while in Earth's orbit approximately 6,700 kilometers above the planet on January 23.The Blue Ghost lunar lander has documented its journey in space since it first entered Earth’s orbit on January 15, when the lander hitched a ride on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket., sent back stunning imagery of the Earth and moon, including its own version of the famous “Blue Marble” photo of Earth. “Firefly’s first Moon and Blue Marble images captured by our Blue Ghost lunar lander embodies everything this bold, unstoppable team has worked so hard for over the last three years. And we’re just getting started,” Will Coogan, Firefly’s Blue Ghost chief engineer, previously told CNN in an email.Known for its long-held love of live music, which can be heard everywhere from the airport to a grocery store, and its “Keep Austin Weird” slogan — the Texas capital city has a distinct DNA that Firefly is embracing. The company’s watch party, filled with Firefly employees, investors and some NASA VIPs, is being hosted at a venue called Haute Spot. Typically, Haute Spot hosts concerts and other sizable parties.Firefly is expected to debut a few speakers to keep the crowd entertained as we head into tonight’s lunar landing attempt. But in true Austin flavor, the evening opened with a musical act. It was fronted by none other than Tim Dodd, the YouTuber and science communicator better known as The Everday Astronaut. He played with a Blue Ghost lunar lander mockup as his backdrop. And footage of SpaceX launches played on a large screen off to the side of the stage.Blue Ghost is expected to touch down at 2:34 a.m. CT on March 2. Firefly will host a joint livestream with NASA starting at 1:20 a.m. CT or about 75 minutes before the landing attempt.CNN will also be providing live updates from a company event with employees and customers down the street from Firefly’s headquarters near Austin, Texas, that you can read here.Blue Ghost is one of several robotic lunar landers that NASA has picked to fly to the moon — hoping uncrewed missions will pave the way for astronauts to return later this decade. Standing at 6.6 feet tall and 11.5 feet wide, Blue Ghost is a box-shaped lander packed with 10 different science instruments and technology demonstrations.“Certainly, our landing systems uses some sophisticated vision navigation,” Firefly’s vice president of spacecraft, Jana Spruce,Antennas: There’s one X band and three S band antenass that will relay data back to Earth, including HD video.Tanks: There are several tanks within the spacecraft’s core, holding helium, fuel and oxidizer to power the vehicle’s engines. RCS thrusters: Reaction control thrusters, or tiny engines, are mounted around the spacecraft. They help keep the vehicle oriented and gently slow it down for landing.Main engine: A single main engine provides the bulk of Blue Ghost’s brute power. It’s been used to adjust orbit, and it’ll need to function perfectly to slow Blue Ghost down before landing.After 45 days in transit, Blue Ghost is finally ready for the big show: attempting to make a soft touchdown on the moon. It’ll be far from easy, as the vehicle must stay in control as it attempts to slow down from thousands of miles per hour to make a precision touchdown — while avoiding troublesome craters and rocks.: Blue Ghost conducts its “descent orbit insertion.” That an engine burn that will place the vehicle on a trajectory down toward the moon’s surface.Blue Ghost will begin a “coast phase” as its navigation systems keep a close eye on its orientation and position relative to the moon.Blue Ghost will ignite all of its thrusters and main engine to slow itself down — aiming to decrease its speed from 1.7 kilometers per second to just 40 meters per second .Blue Ghost will hit a speed of just 1 meter per second as precision thrusters steer its final descent.This is set to occur at 2:34 a.m CT . Firefly is expected to give confirmation of a safe landing within minutes — if the spacecraft has a smooth arrival.Firefly expects to begin sharing Blue Ghost’s first images from the lunar surface.
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