NASA’s commercial lunar lander, Blue Ghost, has completed its successful mission after a full lunar day – two Earth weeks. Built by Firefly Aerospace, the spacecraft conducted a series of experiments, including drilling into the lunar soil, taking X-ray images of the magnetic bubble surrounding Earth, and seeking a mysterious yellow glow at sunset.
On March 2, Blue Ghost landed in Mare Crisium, a lava plain inside an ancient impact crater on the near side of the moon. The spacecraft became the first completely successful landing by a commercial company, with Firefly achieving this feat on its first try.
During its mission, Blue Ghost witnessed and photographed a total solar eclipse, which revealed temperatures dropped from 100 degrees Fahrenheit to minus 270 degrees during the event. The spacecraft relied on battery power to continue operating through five hours of near-total darkness.
The lander also snapped high-resolution images of the lunar horizon glow, a phenomenon that has puzzled scientists for years. The pictures could help solve this enduring scientific mystery.
Firefly Aerospace earned $101.5 million from NASA to carry 10 science and technology payloads to the lunar surface. One of these payloads demonstrated a technology to simplify the collecting of soil and rocks, which will be used on a Japanese mission to collect samples from Phobos, a moon of Mars.
The spacecraft’s last message was received by Firefly, with Blue Ghost signing off in “Monument Mode” before its systems shut down. Although not designed to survive lunar nights, the spacecraft is expected to remain operational for several hours after sunset. Firefly will listen for radio messages from Blue Ghost in early April to determine if it revives.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2025/03/21/science/blue-ghost-moon-landing.html