Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander successfully landed on the Moon on March 2, 2025, marking a significant milestone for commercial lunar exploration. This achievement paves the way for more frequent commercial missions and contributes to establishing a long-term human presence on the lunar surface.
The mission, dubbed “Ghost Riders in the Sky,” commenced with a launch from Kennedy Space Center in Florida on January 15, 2025, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Blue Ghost’s soft landing in Mare Crisium, a region formed by an ancient asteroid impact, makes Firefly the second private company to achieve a lunar landing and the first to land a spacecraft upright. This stands in contrast to Intuitive Machines’ Odysseus lander, which tipped over after landing in February 2024.
Blue Ghost captured its first image of the Moon after touchdown. The image shows the Moon’s surface and a top-down view of the lander’s RCS thrusters (center) with a sun glare on the right side.
Firefly CEO Jason Kim expressed immense pride in the accomplishment, stating, “Firefly is literally and figuratively over the Moon. Our Blue Ghost lunar lander now has a permanent home on the lunar surface.” The precise landing occurred within a 328-foot (100-meter) target zone near a volcanic feature known as Mons Latreille, with successful communication established immediately after touchdown.
Blue Ghost’s Lunar Surface Operations
Blue Ghost is poised to spend a full lunar day (equivalent to 14 Earth days) conducting scientific investigations. Equipped with ten NASA instruments as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, Blue Ghost will gather vital data to support future human missions to the Moon. These instruments will focus on testing subsurface drilling techniques, collecting regolith samples, evaluating a global navigation satellite system, and exploring lunar dust mitigation strategies.
Blue Ghost captured its first sunrise on the Moon, marking the beginning of the lunar day and the start of surface operations in its new home.
NASA’s Associate Administrator for Science, Nicky Fox, highlighted the significance of this mission, stating, “The science and technology we send to the Moon now helps prepare the way for future NASA exploration and long-term human presence to inspire the world for generations to come. We’re sending these payloads by working with American companies—which supports a growing lunar economy.”
Beyond NASA’s Payload: Blue Ghost’s Own Experiments
In addition to supporting NASA’s objectives, Blue Ghost will conduct its own set of experiments, including lunar subsurface drilling, sample collection, X-ray imaging, and dust mitigation studies.
Upcoming Celestial Events and Future Missions
On March 14, Blue Ghost is scheduled to capture high-definition images of a total lunar eclipse, a rare opportunity to observe Earth passing between the Sun and the Moon from the lunar surface. Two days later, the lander will attempt to capture a lunar sunset and collect data on how lunar dust levitates due to solar influences, continuing to observe dust behavior after sunset.
This surge in lunar activity extends beyond Blue Ghost. Two more private landers are currently en route to the Moon: ispace’s Resilience lander, launched on the same SpaceX rocket as Blue Ghost, is preparing for an April landing after a lunar flyby in February. Intuitive Machines’ Athena lander, launched on February 26, is scheduled to land on March 6. This marks an unprecedented period of private lunar exploration, signaling a new era of commercial activity on the Moon.
