Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 Successfully Launches and Begins 45-Day Transit to the Moon (UPDATE)

Credit: Firefly Aerospace

Firefly Aerospace, the leader in end-to-end responsive space services, today announced Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander launched on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, successfully acquired signal, and completed on-orbit commissioning. With a target landing date of March 2, 2025, Firefly’s 60-day mission is now underway, including approximately 45 days on-orbit and 14 days of lunar surface operations with 10 instruments as part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.

Blue Ghost Mission 1, named Ghost Riders in the Sky, launched from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida, at 1:11 a.m. EST on January 15, 2025. Blue Ghost separated from the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in a highly elliptical Earth orbit at 2:17 a.m. EST and established communications with Firefly’s Mission Operations Center in Cedar Park, Texas, at 2:26 a.m. EST. On-orbit spacecraft commissioning was then completed by 5:30 a.m. EST, which included verifying attitude determination and control capabilities, increasing the data transfer rate, establishing a power-positive attitude, and completing initial lander health checks.

“On behalf of Firefly, we want to thank SpaceX for a spot-on deployment in our target orbit,” said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. “The mission is now in the hands of the unstoppable Firefly team. After all the testing conducted and mission simulations completed, we’re now fully focused on execution as we look to complete our on-orbit operations, softly touch down on the lunar surface, and pave the way for humanity’s return to the Moon.”

Firefly’s Blue Ghost will spend approximately 25 days in Earth orbit, four days in lunar transit, and 16 days in lunar orbit, enabling the team to conduct robust health checks on each subsystem, calibrate the propulsion system in preparation for critical maneuvers, and begin payload science operations. The NASA payloads operating during the Earth-to-Moon transit include LuGRE, which will monitor GPS signals to help extend Global Navigation Satellite System capabilities to the lunar surface, and RadPC, which will begin demonstrating the computer’s ability to withstand space radiation while on-orbit.

Upon landing in Mare Crisium, Blue Ghost will operate 10 NASA payloads for a complete lunar day (about 14 Earth days) and support several science and technology demonstrations, including lunar subsurface drilling, sample collection, X-ray imaging, and dust mitigation. Just before lunar night, Blue Ghost will capture high-definition imagery of a total eclipse from the Moon where the Earth blocks the sun. Blue Ghost will then capture the lunar sunset, providing data on how lunar regolith reacts to solar influences during lunar dusk conditions, before operating several hours into the lunar night.

“Towards the end of Blue Ghost Mission 1, we expect to capture a phenomenon documented by Eugene Cernan on Apollo 17 where he observed a horizon glow as the lunar dust levitated on the surface,” said Kim. “As a tribute to the last Apollo Astronaut to walk on the Moon, we’re honored to have the opportunity to watch this incredible sight in high definition." The Ghost Riders in the Sky mission is one of four task orders Firefly has been awarded by NASA CLPS as part of NASA’s Artemis campaign that is working to establish a long-term presence on the Moon and prepare for Mars exploration.

January 15, 2025: Successful launch

January 15, 2025: First On-Orbit Image

Firefly’s Blue Ghost captured its first image from space! The top deck of the lander is visible with the X-band antenna and NASA’s LEXI payload.

Blue Ghost 1

January 15, 2025: On-Orbit Payload Science Begins

The Firefly team completed initial NASA payload checkouts and powered on Montana State University’s RadPC to begin measuring the radiation and fault tolerant computing system. This is the first of many payload data sets Blue Ghost will capture on Firefly’s journey to the Moon.

January 16, 2025: LuGRE Science Operations

All NASA payloads remain healthy. Six NASA payloads onboard Blue Ghost, including RadPC, SCALPSS, LPV, LISTER, LuGRE, and EDS are already sending initial data back to Earth. LuGRE science operations have also begun. Developed by the Italian Space Agency, LuGRE is tracking signals from GPS and Galileo satellites during our Earth to Moon transit to test signal acquisition and usage along the way.

January 18, 2025: First Engine Burn

Big win for the Ghost Riders! The Firefly team successfully completed Blue Ghost’s first burn with our RCS thrusters and main engine, hitting within 2 mm/s of our target delta V on the first try. This burn increased the lander’s perigee (the closest point to Earth) and gets us ready for our next critical maneuver. Take a look at these engines firing with invisible plumes in the vacuum of space.

January 24, 2025: Second Engine Burn

Firefly captured the beauty of our home planet during another Earth orbit burn. This second engine burn (and first critical burn) adjusted Blue Ghost’s apogee (the furthest point from Earth) using our Spectre RCS thrusters. With just over two weeks left in Earth orbit before our Trans Lunar Injection, the Firefly team will continue operating our NASA payloads onboard and capturing science data along the way.

January 27, 2025: First Moon Image

While in Earth orbit, Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander captured our first images of the Moon.

Blue Ghost 1

January 28, 2025: LEXI Payload Calibration

The Firefly team began calibrating the LEXI X-ray imager to maximize its performance levels and prepare for operations on the lunar surface. Developed by Boston University, NASA, and John Hopkins, LEXI will be calibrated daily until we land on the Moon. The payload will then capture a series of X-ray images to study the interaction of solar wind and the Earth’s magnetic field that drives geomagnetic disturbances and storms on our home planet.

January 30, 2025: Week 2 Mission Operations Update

Two weeks into Firefly’s mission, and Blue Ghost has already clocked 715,000 miles and downlinked more than 7 GB of data. In our week two recap, the Firefly mission operations team provides an overview of our orbital mechanics and thermal dynamics and explains why Blue Ghost is taking a scenic route to the Moon.

Source: Firefly Aerospace