Private moon lander Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost is set to make history on March 2 with its lunar landing attempt. The spacecraft, launched atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in January, successfully completed a series of maneuvers to enter low lunar orbit on February 13.
According to the company, Blue Ghost’s third and final lunar orbit maneuver was completed on February 24, marking the beginning of its descent to the moon. The lander is carrying 10 NASA payloads to study the lunar regolith, radiation environment, and solar wind.
A video taken by the spacecraft shows a stunning view of the heavily cratered lunar surface and the distant Earth, captured during an earlier orbit around the moon. Firefly states that it will perform a 19-second Descent Orbit Insertion at its 100-km perilune to start its descent to Mare Crisium.
The “Ghost Riders in the Sky” mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services program and aims to become the second private lander to successfully soft-land on the moon. If successful, Blue Ghost will operate on the lunar surface for one lunar day (14 Earth days) before its solar-powered propulsion system runs out.
Source: https://www.space.com/space-exploration/launches-spacecraft/blue-ghost-lunar-lander-captures-amazing-footage-of-the-moon-ahead-of-march-2-touchdown-attempt-video