Blue Ghost Mission 1 facts for kids
Blue Ghost's shadow after landing on the Moon
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| Names |
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| Mission type | Lunar landing |
| Operator | Firefly Aerospace |
| Mission duration | 5 months, 13 days (elapsed) |
| Spacecraft properties | |
| Spacecraft | Blue Ghost |
| Manufacturer | Firefly Aerospace |
| Launch mass | 1,517 kg (3,344 lb) |
| BOL mass | 1,469 kg (3,239 lb) |
| Dry mass | 469 kg (1,034 lb) |
| Dimensions | Height: 2 m (6 ft 7 in) Width: 3.5 m (11 ft) |
| Power | 400 watts |
| Start of mission | |
| Launch date | 04:24, June 28, 2025 (ET) () (January 15, 2025, 06:11:39 UTC) |
| Rocket | Falcon 9 Block 5 (B1085.5), Flight 425 |
| Launch site | Kennedy, LC-39A |
| Contractor | SpaceX |
| Lunar lander | |
| Landing date | March 2, 2025, 08:34 UTC |
| Landing site | Mare Crisium near Mons Latreille 18°34′N 61°49′E / 18.56°N 61.81°E |
 Mission insignia Commercial Lunar Payload Services
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Blue Ghost Mission 1 is a special robot mission that landed on the Moon. It was built by a company called Firefly Aerospace. The spacecraft launched on January 15, 2025, and successfully landed on the Moon on March 2, 2025. This made Firefly Aerospace the first private company to gently land a spacecraft on the Moon.
This mission is part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. This program helps NASA send science tools and new technologies to the Moon using private companies. Blue Ghost Mission 1 carried ten different science experiments and technology tests. These experiments will help prepare for future human missions to the Moon as part of the larger Artemis program.
The Blue Ghost lander was built to land softly on the Moon's surface. It was designed to work for about 60 days. It carried about 94 kilograms (207 pounds) of equipment to a large flat area on the Moon called Mare Crisium. The mission's goals include studying the Moon's soil, its inner structure, and how the solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetic field. The lander has cool tools like a device to see how Moon dust sticks to things, a special mirror to measure the distance to Earth, and a computer that can handle space radiation.
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The Blue Ghost Mission
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In February 2021, NASA gave Firefly Aerospace a contract worth $93.3 million. This money was for Firefly to deliver ten science tools and technology tests to the Moon. This was part of the CLPS program. NASA uses this program to work with private companies. The goal is to quickly send science and technology to the Moon's surface. This helps with the Artemis program, which aims to send humans back to the Moon.
In May 2021, Firefly Aerospace chose SpaceX's Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket for the Blue Ghost mission. They picked the Falcon 9 because it is very powerful. It could carry the heavy Blue Ghost lander and its cargo. Firefly's own smaller rocket, called Alpha, was not strong enough. Firefly plans to use a larger rocket they are building for future Blue Ghost missions.
Building the Blue Ghost lander took several years. In April 2022, Firefly finished an important review for the lander. They hoped to launch it in 2024. By November 2023, they planned for a launch between October and December 2024.
In May 2024, the engines for Blue Ghost were ready. They were put onto the lander in June. Firefly said everything was going well. They still aimed for a late 2024 launch. In August, the lander went through special tests at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). These tests made sure the spacecraft could handle the harsh conditions of space.
In November 2024, Firefly Aerospace announced the Blue Ghost lander was ready. They set a launch date for mid-January 2025. The science tools were placed inside the lander on January 10. This was one of the last steps before launch. On January 15, 2025, the Blue Ghost lander successfully launched. It lifted off from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39A. It rode into space on a SpaceX Falcon 9 Block 5 rocket. Another lander, called Hakuto-R Mission 2, also launched on the same rocket.
On March 2, 2025, the Blue Ghost mission successfully landed on the Moon. The mission is expected to work for up to 14 Earth days. This is until the Sun sets on the Moon where the lander is.
Blue Ghost Lander Design
The Blue Ghost lander has four landing legs. It also has systems for talking to Earth, keeping warm, and getting power from the Sun. It has many layers of insulation to protect it. The solar panels on Blue Ghost were made by a company called SolAero. They can provide up to 400 watts of power. Another company, ASI, helped with the software. This software helps the lander fly, navigate, and control itself. Firefly Aerospace is proud that they built and tested most of the Blue Ghost lander themselves.
Science Tools on Board
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The Blue Ghost lander touched down in Mare Crisium. This is a large, flat basin on the Moon that you can see from Earth. The lander's science tools will collect information about the Moon's regolith. This is the loose rock and soil on the Moon. They will also study the Moon's inner structure. Another goal is to learn how the solar wind interacts with Earth's magnetic field. All these findings will help prepare for future human missions to the Moon.
The science tools on the lander weigh about 94 kilograms (207 pounds) in total. Here are some of them:
- The Regolith Adherence Characterization (RAC) tool will see how much the sticky Moon dust clings to different materials. This includes solar cells, camera lenses, and special coatings. This helps engineers design better equipment for the Moon.
- The Next Generation Lunar Retroreflectors (NGLR) are like special mirrors. Lasers from Earth will shine on them to precisely measure the distance between Earth and the Moon. This data can also help us understand the Moon's inside and answer big questions in physics.
- The Lunar Environment Heliospheric X-ray Imager (LEXI) will take pictures. It shows how Earth's magnetosphere interacts with the flow of charged particles from the Sun, called the solar wind.
- The Reconfigurable, Radiation Tolerant Computer System (RadPC) will test a computer that can handle radiation. The Moon has no atmosphere or strong magnetic field. This means radiation from the Sun is a big problem for electronics. This experiment will study how radiation affects things on the Moon's surface.
- The Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder (LMS) will study the Moon's mantle. This is a layer deep inside the Moon. It will do this by looking at electric and magnetic fields. It will place electrodes over a large area to collect data.
- The Lunar Instrumentation for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity (LISTER) will measure heat coming from inside the Moon. This tool will try to drill about 2 to 3 meters (7 to 10 feet) into the Moon's soil. This helps scientists understand the Moon's heat at different depths.
- The Lunar PlanetVac (LPV) is designed to pick up Moon soil from the surface. It can then move the soil to other tools for analysis. Or it can put the soil into a container for another spacecraft to bring back to Earth.
- The Stereo CAmeras for Lunar Plume Surface Studies (SCALPSS 1.1) will record videos and take pictures. It will watch the area under the lander. This starts when the rocket engine first kicks up Moon dust during landing. It helps scientists understand how rocket exhaust affects the Moon's surface. This is important for future landings.
- The AstroVault is like a lunar library. It was created by Quantum Aerospace and Space Ark Media. It will store human culture, art, music, and knowledge. It will be saved in a very strong format. This ensures that important works are kept safe on the Moon for a long time.
- The Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) will create an electric field. This field can push away tiny particles like Moon dust. This technology could be used on spacesuits, camera lenses, and solar panels to keep them clean.
- The Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) uses GPS technology. LuGRE will try to pick up GPS signals from Earth all the way at the Moon. If it works, it will be the first time GPS signals are detected at lunar distances.
See also
In Spanish: Blue Ghost Mission 1 para niños
- Chandrayaan-3
- Commercial Lunar Payload Services
- List of missions to the Moon
- Luna 25
- Peregrine Mission One
- Smart Lander for Investigating Moon
