Firefly Aerospace, a Cedar Park-based company, is scheduled to launch its lunar lander, Blue Ghost One, on Wednesday, January 15 at 12:11 a.m., marking the first of several commercial missions to the moon. The mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and will conduct scientific experiments on the lunar surface.
The lander will launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and travel through a 45-day Earth orbit before landing on the moon. The mission will help pave the way for humans’ return to the moon under the Artemis III program.
Firefly Aerospace is an “end-to-end responsive space service” that acts as a space trucker, transporting goods from Earth to space. This mission completes half a decade of work by the team and marks a significant step in the company’s efforts to commercialize space travel.
The lander will carry several experiments, including a drill to collect soil samples, an X-ray telescope, and a GPS tracking device. The mission is structured differently than traditional Apollo missions, which only spent about 2-3 days in lunar orbit before landing on the moon.
Landing on the moon is challenging due to its lack of features like a horizon or rivers to guide the lander. The company’s engineers have developed an automated system that can recognize rocks and hazards, and look for a safe landing spot.
The mission will last two weeks on the moon, during which time the lander can only operate under daylight. Any delays in the launch schedule can be adjusted to ensure the lander reaches the moon at the right time.
Firefly Aerospace has contracted three missions with NASA: Blue Ghost One, Blue Ghost Two, and Blue Ghost Three. The next mission, scheduled for 2026, will take mankind to the far side of the moon to study radio waves. The third mission, set for an unspecified date, will travel to a volcanic region on the moon’s surface.
The company is one of several aerospace companies in Texas, including Boeing and SpaceX, and has received significant funding from the state, with $200 million allocated towards the Texas A&M Space Institute.
Source: https://www.kxan.com/news/science/lunar-mission-from-austin-area-aerospace-company-launches-this-week