Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost

Firefly is the prime contractor for lunar delivery services using Blue Ghost landers. Firefly provides or subcontracts Blue Ghost payload integration, launch from Earth, landing on the Moon and mission operations. Firefly's Cedar Park facility serves as the company's mission operations center and the location of payload integration. Firefly operates a {{convert|50,000|sqft|adj=on}} spacecraft facility with two mission control centers and an ISO-8 cleanroom to accommodate multiple landers.{{cite web |title=Hawthorne-based rocket company to move to Texas |url=https://www.dailybreeze.com/2014/09/11/hawthorne-based-rocket-company-to-move-to-texas/ |website=Daily Breeze |date=2014-09-11 |access-date=2025-03-06}}{{cite web |title=Firefly Space Systems charges full speed toward low Earth orbit |url=https://arstechnica.com/science/2014/11/firefly-space-systems-charges-full-speed-toward-low-earth-orbit/ |website=Ars Technica |date=2014-11-18 |access-date=2025-03-06}}

Blue Ghost has four landing legs. It supplies data, power, and thermal resources for payload operations through transit to the Moon, in lunar orbit, and on the lunar surface. The spacecraft is designed and built to be easily adapted to each customer’s cislunar needs. Blue Ghost can be customized to support larger, more complex missions, including lunar night operations, surface mobility, and sample return, and is compatible with multiple launch providers. Firefly asserts that in-house end-to-end manufacturing and testing of the Blue Ghost structure is a differentiator among the CLPS landers.{{cite web |url=https://compositesmanufacturingmagazine.com/2023/10/firefly-aerospaces-blue-ghost-lunar-lander-is-assembled/ |title=Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Lunar Lander is Assembled |website=compositesmanufacturingmagazine.com |date=16 October 2023 }}{{Cite web |date=2025-03-02 |title=Firefly's Blue Ghost lander successfully touches down on the moon |url=https://edition.cnn.com/2025/03/01/science/blue-ghost-mission-moon-landing/index.html |access-date=2025-03-14 |website=CNN |language=en}}

NASA awarded Firefly the first Blue Ghost lunar delivery task order in February 2021 as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.{{cite web |title=NASA Sets Coverage of Firefly's First Robotic Commercial Moon Landing |url=https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-sets-coverage-of-fireflys-first-robotic-commercial-moon-landing/#:~:text=In%20February%202021%2C%20the%20agency,(modified%20to%20%24101.5%20million). |website=NASA |date=2025-03-05 |access-date=2025-03-06}}

{{Main|1=Blue Ghost Mission 1|label 1=Blue Ghost M1}}

On February 4, 2021, NASA awarded Firefly a contract worth US$93.3 million to deliver a suite of ten science investigations and technology demonstrations to the Moon in 2023. The award is part of the CLPS initiative, in which NASA is securing the service of commercial partners to quickly land science and technology payloads on the lunar surface as part of the Artemis program.{{cite web |title=NASA awards launch contract to SpaceX and orders a lunar lander from Firefly |url=https://www.seradata.com/nasa-awards-launch-contract-to-spacex-and-orders-a-lunar-lander-from-firefly/ |website=Seradata |date=2025-03-06 |access-date=2025-03-06}}

The mission planned to land at Mare Crisium, a {{convert|500|km||sp=us|adj=mid|-wide}} basin visible from Earth. Instruments will gather data to provide insight into the Moon's regolith{{snd}} loose, fragmented rock and soil{{snd}} properties, geophysical characteristics, and the interaction of solar wind and Earth's magnetic field,{{Cite press release |url=https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-firefly-aerospace-for-artemis-commercial-moon-delivery-in-2023 |title=NASA Selects Firefly Aerospace for Artemis Commercial Moon Delivery in 2023 |publisher=NASA |date=February 4, 2021 |access-date=March 5, 2021 |archive-date=February 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204211114/https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-selects-firefly-aerospace-for-artemis-commercial-moon-delivery-in-2023 |url-status=live}} {{PD-notice}} helping to prepare for human missions to the lunar surface. On May 20, 2021, Firefly selected SpaceX's Falcon 9 as the launch vehicle for the first mission,{{Cite web |last=Nicioli |first=Taylor |date=2025-02-01 |title=Blue Ghost lunar lander is documenting its journey to the moon. The views are breathtaking |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/01/science/blue-ghost-moon-eclipse-pictures/index.html |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=CNN |language=en}} as its own Alpha rocket does not have the performance or payload volume needed to launch Blue Ghost.{{Cite web |last=Foust |first=Jeff |date=May 20, 2021 |title=Firefly selects SpaceX to launch its lunar lander |url=https://spacenews.com/firefly-selects-spacex-to-launch-its-lunar-lander/ |access-date=May 22, 2021 |publisher=SpaceNews}} Firefly's future MLV launch vehicle is expected to support future Blue Ghost missions.{{Cite tweet |number=1395382812308561922 |user=firefly_space |title=Alpha rocket does not have the performance or payload volume needed to launch Blue Ghost – F9 does. Our future Beta launch vehicle will support Blue Ghost launch. |author=Firefly Aerospace |date=May 20, 2021 |access-date=May 20, 2021}}

• On April 26, 2022, Firefly announced the completion of the Integration Readiness Review (IRR) for the first Blue Ghost lander, M1, with the launch expected to occur in 2024.{{cite web |date=October 4, 2023 |title=Firefly Aerospace Completes Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Structure Ahead of Moon Landing for NASA |website=fireflyspace.com |url=https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-completes-blue-ghost-lunar-lander-structure-ahead-of-moon-landing-for-nasa/}}
• In November 2023 Firefly provided a more precise time window for the mission, occurring between the third and the fourth quarters of 2024.
• In May 2024, the first engines for Blue Ghost were completed.{{Cite web |last=Parsonson |first=Andrew |date=2024-04-29 |title=Nammo UK Prepares to Deliver Engine for US Lunar Lander |url=https://europeanspaceflight.com/nammo-uk-prepares-to-deliver-engine-for-us-lunar-lander/ |access-date=2024-05-04 |website=European Spaceflight |language=en-US}}
• In June 2024, the company announced the engines were integrated, and the lander would soon be scheduled for launch.{{Cite web |title=One step closer to launch and landing as our Firefly team installed Blue Ghost's main engine |url=https://x.com/Firefly_Space/status/1798757185398448539 |website=x.com}}
• In July 2024, the company reiterated a Q4 2024 launch.{{cite tweet |user=Firefly_Space|number=1818380477964706162|date=2024-07-30|title=We're going to the Moon! As Blue Ghost gets ready to ship for final environmental testing, get a behind-the-scenes look of how we got here and the mission ahead. Stay tuned for more on Blue Ghost Mission 1 in the coming months ahead of the Q4 2024 launch. |access-date=2024-10-02}}
• Prelaunch environmental testing began in August at JPL.{{Cite web |last=Foust |first=Jeff |date=2024-08-26 |title=Firefly Aerospace's lunar lander begins pre-launch environmental tests |url=https://spacenews.com/firefly-aerospaces-lunar-lander-begins-pre-launch-environmental-tests/ |access-date=2024-08-27 |website=SpaceNews |language=en-US}}
• In November 2024, the company announced that Blue Ghost was ready for launch, and would launch in mid-January 2025.{{cite web |url=https://fireflyspace.com/news/firefly-aerospace-blue-ghost-mission-1-to-the-moon-readies-for-launch/ |date=2024-11-25 |access-date=2024-11-30 |title=Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost Mission 1 to the Moon Readies for Launch |publisher=Firefly Aerospace}}
• On January 7, 2025, Firefly aerospace announced that the mission was set to launch at 1:11 a.m. EST (06:11 UTC) on January 15, 2025.
• On January 15, 2025, the mission was successfully launched with the Hakuto-R Mission 2 lander.
• On March 2, 2025, it successfully landed on the Moon.{{Cite web |last=Nicioli |first=Taylor |date=2025-02-01 |title=Blue Ghost lunar lander is documenting its journey to the moon. The views are breathtaking |url=https://www.cnn.com/2025/02/01/science/blue-ghost-moon-eclipse-pictures/index.html |access-date=2025-02-03 |website=CNN |language=en}}

The payloads, collectively expected to total {{Cvt|94|kg}} in mass, include:{{Cite web |date=2025-01-18 |title=Oregon's Connection to the Moon: Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission Blasts Off - Willamette Weekly |url=https://willametteweekly.news/oregons-connection-to-the-moon-firefly-aerospaces-blue-ghost-mission-blasts-off |access-date=2025-03-03 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2025-01-17 |title=Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1: Lunar Voyage |url=https://lonestar-weekly.com/boots-buzz/firefly-aerospaces-blue-ghost-mission-1-embarks-on-historic-lunar-voyage/ |access-date=2025-03-03 |language=en-US}}

• The Regolith Adherence Characterization (RAC), which will determine how lunar regolith sticks to a range of materials exposed to the Moon's environment during landing and lander operations. Components will be derived from the MISSE-FF facility currently on the International Space Station (ISS).
• The Next Generation Lunar Retroreflectors (NGLR), which will serve as a target for lasers on Earth to precisely measure the distance between Earth and the Moon. The retroreflector that will fly on this mission also will provide data that could be used to understand various aspects of the lunar interior and address fundamental physics questions.{{cite web |title=Next Generation Lunar Retroreflector (NGLR) |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/nmc/experiment/display.action?id=BLUEGHOST-04 |website=NSSDCA |date=2022 |access-date=2025-03-14}}
• The Lunar Environment Heliospheric X-ray Imager (LEXI), which will capture images of the interaction of Earth's magnetosphere with the flow of charged particles from the Sun, called the solar wind.{{cite web |title=LEXI: The Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager |url=https://sites.bu.edu/lexi/ |website=Boston University |access-date=2025-03-06}}
• The Reconfigurable, Radiation Tolerant Computer System (RadPC), which aims to demonstrate a radiation-tolerant computing technology. Due to the Moon's lack of atmosphere and magnetic field, radiation from the Sun will be a challenge for electronics. This investigation also will characterize the radiation effects on the lunar surface.
• The Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder (LMS), which is designed to characterize the structure and composition of the Moon's mantle by studying electric and magnetic fields.
• The Lunar Instrumentation for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity (LISTER), which is designed to measure heat flow from the interior of the Moon. The probe will attempt to drill {{cvt|7-10|ft|order=flip}} into the lunar regolith to investigate the Moon's thermal properties at different depths.
• The Lunar PlanetVac (LPV), which is designed to acquire lunar regolith from the surface and transfer it to other instruments that would analyze the material or put it in a container that another spacecraft could return to Earth.
• Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS 1.1), which will capture video and still images of the area under the lander from when the engine plume first disturbs the lunar surface through engine shutdown. Long-focal-length cameras will determine the pre-landing surface topography. Photogrammetry will be used to reconstruct the changing surface during landing. Understanding the physics of rocket exhaust on the regolith, and the displacement of dust, gravel, and rocks is critical to understanding how to best avoid kicking up surface materials during the terminal phase of flight/landing on the Moon and other celestial bodies.
• The AstroVault, developed by Quantum Aerospace and Space Ark Media, is a lunar archive designed to preserve human culture, art, music, and knowledge for future generations. Encoded in an ultra-durable format, it will serve as a long-term repository of literature, scientific discoveries, and creative works, ensuring their preservation in the lunar environment.{{cite web |title=Space Ark Media Group - Missions |url=https://spacearkmedia7656.live-website.com/missions/ |website=Space Ark Media Group |access-date=2025-03-06}}
• The Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS), which will generate a non-uniform electric field using varying high voltage on multiple electrodes. This traveling field, in turn, carries away the particles and has potential applications in thermal radiators, spacesuit fabrics, visors, camera lenses, solar panels, and many other technologies.{{cite web |title=Navigation Doppler Lidar (NDL) |url=https://techport.nasa.gov/projects/32733 |website=NASA Techport |publisher=NASA |access-date=2025-03-06}}
• The Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE), which is based on GPS and Galileo. LuGRE will continue to extend the reach of GPS signals and, if successful, be the first to discern GPS signals at lunar distances.{{cite web |title=LuGRE: The Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment |url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/api/citations/20220002074/downloads/LuGRE_ION-ITM_2022_Draft8_Submitted_ConferenceProceedings.pdf |website=NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |date=2022 |access-date=2025-03-06}}

File:Firefly Blue Ghost lander mockup.jpg

The second Blue Ghost lander is scheduled for launch in 2026.{{Cite web |title=Blue Ghost Mission 2 |url=https://fireflyspace.com/missions/blue-ghost-mission-2/ |access-date=2024-06-14 |website=Firefly Aerospace |language=en-US}} It will deliver Lunar Pathfinder, a European communication satellite and a precursor to the Moonlight Initiative constellation, to lunar orbit.{{Cite web |title=Firefly to take Lunar Pathfinder to the Moon |url=https://www.esa.int/Science_Exploration/Human_and_Robotic_Exploration/Firefly_to_take_Lunar_Pathfinder_to_the_Moon |access-date=2025-03-01 |website=www.esa.int |language=en}}

A third Blue Ghost mission is planned for 2028. {{Cite web |title=More NASA Science, Tech will Fly to Moon Aboard Future Firefly Flight - NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/more-nasa-science-tech-will-fly-to-moon-aboard-future-firefly-flight/ |website=www.nasa.gov |access-date=2024-12-21 |language=en-US}}

In 2017, Space Policy Directive 1 signaled the intention of returning NASA astronauts to the Moon. In 2018, NASA solicited bids from nine companies, including Firefly Aerospace, for the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. CLPS is part of the NASA Artemis program; one of the long-term goals of Artemis is establishing a permanent crewed base on the Moon.{{Cite web |date=2024-01-08 |title=Overview of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services Program |url=https://newspaceeconomy.ca/2024/01/08/overview-of-nasas-commercial-lunar-payload-services-program/ |access-date=2024-05-13 |website=New Space Economy |language=en-US}}

In 2021, Firefly Aerospace received a NASA contract that was valued at US$93 million to conduct lunar landings for NASA.{{Cite web |title=NASA Selects Firefly Aerospace for Artemis Commercial Moon Delivery in 2023 - NASA |url=https://www.nasa.gov/news-release/nasa-selects-firefly-aerospace-for-artemis-commercial-moon-delivery-in-2023/ |website=www.nasa.gov |access-date=2024-05-13 |language=en-US}}

{{Portal|Spaceflight}}

;Other commercial lunar lander programs

:* Blue Moon (Blue Origin)

:* SERIES-2 (Draper)

:* Peregrine (Astrobotic)

:* Starship HLS (SpaceX)

:* Hakuto-R Mission 1 (ispace)

:* IM-1 and IM-2 (Intuitive Machines)

;Lunar lander programs by country

:* China: Chinese Lunar Exploration Program

:* India: Chandrayaan Programme

:* Russia: Luna-Glob

:* United States: Commercial Lunar Payload Services (Artemis program)

:* Japan: Japanese Lunar Exploration Program

{{reflist }}

{{Artemis program}}

{{Moon spacecraft}}

{{Lunar landers}}

Category:2025 in spaceflight

Category:Missions to the Moon

Category:Commercial Lunar Payload Services

Category:Private spaceflight

Category:Kennedy Space Center

Category:Firefly Aerospace