In a stunning photo shared by Firefly Aerospace, NASA’s Blue Ghost lunar lander captured Earth eclipsing the Sun from its vantage point in space. Launched on Jan. 15, Blue Ghost is set to attempt a moon landing on March 2 after spending nearly three weeks in Earth orbit. The robotic craft will have the opportunity to document another “postcard-perfect” moment as Earth blocks part of the Sun’s light.
The spacecraft, standing at 6.6 feet tall, carries advanced instruments designed to study the moon’s surface. During its mission, Blue Ghost aims to land on Mare Crisium, a basin covered in lava near the moon’s surface. The robotic landing attempt previously succeeded with the Soviet Luna 24 mission in 1976.
Despite NASA’s goal of human lunar exploration in mid-2027, U.S.-based companies like Firefly Aerospace are also focused on bringing lunar research to the Moon through initiatives like Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS). However, landing on the moon remains a significant challenge due to the lack of atmosphere and extreme cold.
In recent years, other U.S. spacecraft have had mixed success—such as the Indian Chandrayaan and Chinese鹊桥 mission—though the U.S.-builtOdysseus spacecraft faced difficulty during its 2024 landing attempt. Meanwhile, Blue Ghost will test its descent technology in coming months as it prepares for its ambitious journey to the Moon.
NASA’s efforts to explore the moon are part of a broader effort to expand human presence on other planets and deepen our understanding of space.
Source: https://mashable.com/article/spacecraft-moon-snaps-image-earth-eclipse-blue-ghost