CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — On Sunday, a privately developed lunar lander, carrying equipment for NASA such as a drill and a vacuum, successfully landed on the moon. This event marks the latest endeavor by private companies aiming to establish commercial activities on the moon before manned missions take place.
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander used its autonomous navigation system to descend from lunar orbit, targeting the terrain of an ancient volcanic dome within a large impact zone on the near side’s northeastern edge.
Confirmation that the landing was successful was received by Firefly’s Mission Control, located outside Austin, Texas, which was monitoring the event from approximately 225,000 miles (360,000 kilometers) away.
Firefly’s chief engineer for the lander, Will Coogan, announced, “You all stuck the landing. We’re on the moon.”
This upright and stable landing positions Firefly, a company established ten years ago, as the first private entity to achieve a successful lunar landing without crashing or overturning. Historically, even nations have struggled with lunar landings, with only Russia, the U.S., China, India, and Japan achieving success.
Thirty minutes after landing, the Blue Ghost began transmitting images from the lunar surface. The first image, a selfie, was partially obscured by sunlight. The second image featured Earth, appearing as a blue point of light against the dark expanse of space.
Two other companies are close behind Blue Ghost, with the next lunar landing anticipated later in the week.
The dimensions and structure of Blue Ghost, named after a rare species of U.S. fireflies, contributed to its success. The lander’s sturdy four-legged design, measuring 6-foot-6 (2 meters) in height and 11 feet (3.5 meters) in width, provided enhanced stability, according to the company.
The lander, launched from Florida in mid-January, transported ten NASA experiments to the moon. NASA allocated $101 million for the delivery and an additional $44 million for the onboard scientific and technological equipment. This mission is the third in NASA’s commercial lunar delivery program, designed to foster a competitive private lunar economy while gathering data before crewed missions later this decade.
Firefly’s Ray Allensworth noted that the lander navigated around obstacles, including boulders, to achieve a safe landing. While the team is still analyzing data to determine the precise location, initial indications suggest it landed within its intended 328-foot (100-meter) target zone in Mare Crisium.
The experiments are expected to operate for two weeks, until the lunar daytime ends and the lander powers down.
The payload included a vacuum designed to collect lunar soil for analysis and a drill capable of measuring temperatures up to 10 feet (3 meters) beneath the surface. Additionally, there was a device intended to remove abrasive lunar dust, which proved problematic for the Apollo astronauts, coating their suits and equipment.
During its journey to the moon, Blue Ghost transmitted impressive images of Earth. Once in lunar orbit, the lander continued to provide detailed images of the moon’s cratered surface. Simultaneously, an onboard receiver successfully tracked signals from the U.S. GPS and European Galileo navigation systems, marking a positive step for future lunar navigation.
This landing paves the way for increased lunar commercial activity.
Another lander, built and operated by Houston-based Intuitive Machines and measuring 15 feet (4 meters) tall, is scheduled to land on the moon on Thursday, targeting a location near the lunar south pole, approximately 100 miles (160 kilometers) away. This is closer to the pole than the company’s previous attempt, which resulted in a tipped-over lander due to a damaged leg.
Despite the mishap, Intuitive Machines’ lander marked the return of the U.S. to the moon for the first time since the Apollo program concluded in 1972.
A third lander, from the Japanese company ispace, is approximately three months away from its landing attempt. It shared a launch with Blue Ghost from Cape Canaveral on January 15, taking a longer route. Similar to Intuitive Machines, ispace is attempting a second lunar landing after its first lander crashed in 2023.
The lunar surface is littered with debris from ispace and numerous other failed attempts over the decades.
NASA aims to maintain a rate of two private lunar lander missions per year, acknowledging that some missions will not succeed, according to Nicky Fox, the space agency’s chief science officer.
Fox stated that this approach “really does open up a whole new way for us to get more science to space and to the moon.”
Firefly CEO Jason Kim highlighted the difference between the Apollo missions, which had substantial funding and skilled astronauts, and private companies operating on limited budgets with autonomous robotic landers.
Kim stated that everything proceeded flawlessly.
“We got some moon dust on our boots,” Kim said.
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