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Blue Ghost lander completes orbit adjustment ahead of scheduled lunar landing.

Aviation and Aerospace

Business Honor
21 Febuary, 2025

Firefly’s Blue Ghost adjusts orbit for lunar landing, supporting NASA's lunar exploration program.

In anticipation of a planned lunar landing, Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander has successfully finished an engine burn to reduce its orbit around the moon. After traveling four days from Earth to enter lunar orbit last week, the lander is currently 120 kilometers above the moon's surface. The spacecraft is now in a stable orbit before its final descent after this three-minute, eighteen-second correction. While the mission crew keeps an eye on the probe's position and impending maneuvers, data is currently being received.

Reports indicate that prior to the lander's scheduled touchdown on March 2; its orbit will be adjusted further. Firefly Aerospace indicated that intermittent communication disruptions are expected as the spacecraft orbits the far side of the Moon in a video that provided a closer glimpse at the surface of the Moon. Data transmission is ongoing while the probe remains on the near side, and mission controllers are finishing preparations for the next round of orbital maneuvers.

Blue Ghost was launched by NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The mission is intended to deliver technology demonstrations and research experiments to the lunar surface as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. With a focus on lunar surface research and technical developments to aid future exploration, this mission has ten payloads.

Blue Ghost would be the second privately built spacecraft to touch down on the moon if it is successful. It will function for about 14 Earth days, or one complete lunar day, once it is on the surface. Scientific equipment will gather information, test parts, and support further lunar exploration during this time. These results are anticipated to influence future lunar exploration plans as part of the Artemis program.