Firefly Aerospace Launches Blue Ghost Mission To The Moon

This morning, Firefly Aerospace successfully launched a moon lander equipped with a range of NASA science instruments and technology demonstrations. The mission, known as Blue Ghost, lifted off aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida at precisely 1:11 a.m. ET on Wednesday, January 15.

The primary goal of this mission is to achieve a soft landing on the lunar surface. If accomplished, it will mark only the second successful moon landing by a private company, following the Odyssey landing by Intuitive Machines last year. Both missions are integral to NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, which aims to have commercial partners deliver scientific payloads to the moon in preparation for the upcoming Artemis human exploration missions.

“This mission embodies the bold spirit of NASA’s Artemis campaign – a campaign driven by scientific exploration and discovery,” remarked NASA Deputy Administrator Pam Melroy. “Every flight we participate in is a crucial step towards establishing a sustainable human presence on the moon, Mars, and beyond. Each scientific instrument and technology demonstration takes us closer to making our vision a reality. Congratulations to the teams at NASA, Firefly, and SpaceX for this successful launch.”

Following the launch, the spacecraft successfully separated from its rocket at 2:17 a.m. ET and made contact with ground control. The team carried out checks to verify the spacecraft’s condition and status, confirming that all systems were operational and data transfer was functioning correctly.

The Blue Ghost will remain in Earth orbit for approximately 25 days before embarking on its four-day journey to the moon, where it will spend 16 days orbiting the lunar surface. The mission aims to execute a landing on Sunday, March 2, in the Mare Crisium basin—a 300-mile-wide crater located on the moon’s near side—followed by conducting experiments related to lunar drilling and sample collection.

“On behalf of Firefly, I want to extend our gratitude to SpaceX for their precise deployment into our target orbit,” stated Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. “The mission is now in the capable hands of the dedicated Firefly team. Having completed extensive testing and mission simulations, we are focused on executing our planned operations, achieving a successful soft landing on the lunar surface, and paving the way for humanity’s return to the moon.”