Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission-1 has captured a breathtaking image of the Sun emerging from behind Earth early this morning, offering a unique perspective on the Moon’s surface. The 14-day operational mission, which began on March 2, is nearing its end as it approaches the lunar night.
During its stay on the Moon, BGM-1 deployed 10 NASA instruments, including cameras that took stunning images of last night’s total solar eclipse. The “diamond ring” effect was visible at 4:30 am EDT this morning, and another image taken three hours earlier is equally impressive.
The mission, part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, marks the first fully successful commercial lunar lander. Firefly Aerospace received $101 million for delivery services, with an additional $44 million allocated for payloads.
BGM-1 landed in Mare Crisium on March 2 and is designed to operate for a short period to demonstrate its capabilities. The Moon’s surface experiences 14 days of sunlight and 14 days of darkness due to tidal locking, and the lander is not equipped to survive the harsh lunar night.
The success of BGM-1 paves the way for a commercial lunar economy, with NASA planning more CLPS missions, including two that might launch this year. The mission provides valuable lessons for future lunar exploration and demonstrates the potential for private companies to contribute to space research.
Source: https://spacepolicyonline.com/news