Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lands on moon after 45-day trip
The Brief
Blue Ghost, a lunar lander built in Central Texas, is now on the moon.
Sunday's landing was the first successful commercial moon landing.
Firefly Aerospace got a multi-million-dollar contract from NASA to take experiments to the moon.
CEDAR PARK, Texas - A lunar lander made right here in Central Texas is now on the moon.
Blue Ghost, built by Cedar Park-based Firefly Aerospace, landed on the moon early Sunday morning while many gathered to watch history in the making down here on Earth.
What we know
The lander touched down on the surface of the moon at 2:35 a.m. March 2, marking the first successful commercial lunar landing.
A watch party packed full of people was held at a venue not far from Firefly's headquarters in Cedar Park. Video screens provided live feeds from the control room and of the Blue Ghost lunar lander as it descended to the surface of the moon.
RELATED: Blue Ghost lunar lander touches down on moon for NASA delivery
Launched in mid-January from Florida, the trip took 45 days, with the lander initially swinging around the Earth several times, allowing research teams to collect new data.
The backstory
Blue Ghost — named after a rare U.S. species of firefly — is a four-legged lander that stands 6 feet, 6 inches tall and 11 feet wide.
This mission, called Ghost Riders in the Sky, started back in 2021 when NASA awarded Firefly Aerospace a multi-million-dollar contract to carry ten experiments up to the moon. NASA paid $101 million for the delivery, plus $44 million for the science and tech on board.
Cedar Park's Firefly Aerospace successfully gets lunar lander into space
NASA holds Blue Ghost Lunar Lander briefing before launch
Firefly Aerospace's lunar lander is one step closer to reaching the moon
Blue Ghost is the third mission under NASA's commercial lunar delivery program, intended to ignite a lunar economy of competing private businesses while scouting around before astronauts show up later this decade.
What's next
The information gathered from the trip and the experiments on the lunar surface will help NASA prepare for a manned mission to the moon.
Blue Ghost is expected to operate through a full lunar day, which is about 14 Earth days.
When the landing site transitions into a lunar night, the plan is to record two final moments: a solar eclipse by the Earth and a lunar horizon dust glow, which was first documented by the crew of Apollo 17 in 1972, the last manned mission to the moon.
Firefly Aerospace is also currently building another lander, Blue Ghost 2, which is scheduled to blast off next year.
The Source
Information in this report comes from reporting by FOX 7 Austin's Rudy Koski and by FOX Television Stations.
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