Firefly Aerospace's first lunar lander, carrying 10 NASA science instruments, is set to launch on January 15th as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative. The mission, named Blue Ghost, will aim to land near Mons Latreille in the Mare Crisium basin, collecting samples of lunar regolith and drilling beneath the surface. This launch signifies NASA's increasing reliance on private companies like Firefly to advance its lunar exploration goals.
Next week, a new lander will be launched to the moon carrying NASA science instruments as part of the agency’s push to incorporate more private companies into its lunar program. Firefly Aerospace has developed its first lunar lander for the Blue Ghost mission, which is set to launch on Wednesday January 15, carrying 10 NASA instruments.
Recommended Videos Blue Ghost aims to land on the moon near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille, which is located within the Mare Crisium basin in the moon’s northern hemisphere. It will carry instruments and experiments for collecting samples of the dusty material that covers the moon, called regolith, and for drilling beneath the moon’s surface.
Related NASA wants to recruit private companies like Firefly and Intuitive Machines to help set up infrastructure and perform exploration of the moon as part of the Artemis program, which aims to return humans to the moon within the next few years. Established companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin are developing vehicles for landing humans on the moon, while smaller companies are working on delivering payloads such as scientific instruments.
NASA Firefly Aerospace Blue Ghost Lunar Lander Artemis Program
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Ghost ships to ghost sharks: 10 wildest underwater discoveries of 2024Andrew Paul is Popular Science's staff writer primarily focused on tech news. Previously, he was a regular contributor to The A.V. Club and Input, and has had recent work featured by Rolling Stone, Fangoria, GQ, Slate, NBC, as well as McSweeney's Internet Tendency. He lives outside Indianapolis.
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