Blue Ghost, the “little lander” from Firefly Aerospace that is headed to the moon, has captured the littlest lunar eclipse ever (in addition to our hearts).
Firefly contracted SpaceX to launch the corporate’s “Ghost Riders within the Sky” mission final month (Jan. 15) on a Falcon 9 rocket, out of NASA’s Kennedy House Middle in Florida. Since then, the lander has been camped out in Earth orbit, present process programs checks and making ready to mild its engines for a translunar injection burn, which is able to propel the probe on a four-day trajectory for the moon.
Till that maneuver, nevertheless, Blue Ghost has been busy above the large blue Earth, beaming house lovely photographs of our planet, in addition to views of its far-off remaining vacation spot, the moon. Now, Blue Ghost has captured each collectively.
In a submit on X, previously Twitter, Firefly shared a video from Blue Ghost exhibiting a really faint and faraway moon, seen for only a second earlier than the brilliantly vibrant Earth eclipses the celestial spec because the lander climbs up its orbit.
“I spy with my little lander, a Moon within the distance,” the submit reads. “Take a look at Blue Ghost’s wonderful view of Earth eclipsing the Moon because the lander travels on orbit. Our #GhostRiders cannot wait to share extra postcard-worthy moments as we proceed on our roadtrip.”
I spy with my little lander, a Moon within the distance. Take a look at Blue Ghost’s wonderful view of Earth eclipsing the Moon because the lander travels on orbit. Our #GhostRiders cannot wait to share extra postcard worthy moments as we proceed on our roadtrip. #BGM1 pic.twitter.com/OUGfHgSPLCJanuary 31, 2025
Ghost Riders within the Sky is Firefly’s first try and land something on the moon. Onboard, Blue Ghost is carrying 10 NASA analysis payloads designed to additional the house company’s understanding of the lunar atmosphere. The mission is a part of NASA’s Business Lunar Payload Providers (CLPS) program, an extension of the company’s augmented plans to ultimately return astronauts to the moon via the Artemis program.
The Falcon 9 that launched Blue Ghost to orbit additionally carried one other lunar lander alongside for the experience. Resilience, constructed by the Japanese firm ispace, rode to orbit as a secondary payload aboard the rocket and also will head towards the moon. However whereas each landers are focusing on the lunar floor, their mission timelines differ considerably from each other.
Resilience is taking a sluggish and regular course towards its remaining touchdown zone in Mare Frigoris (“Sea of Chilly”), within the moon’s northern hemisphere. The lander’s extended orbit and trajectory from Earth to the moon have its landing focusing on someday about 4 months from now. The probe additionally features a mini-rover, named Tenacious, which is able to gather a pattern of regolith (moon mud) to meet a NASA contract.
Blue Ghost, alternatively, is a few month away from making an attempt a touchdown in Mare Crisium (“Sea of Crises”), on the northeasterm a part of the moon’s close to facet. As soon as on the floor, Blue Ghost could have a full lunar day — about two weeks — for its 10 CLPS payloads to meet their operations. Lots of the mission’s investigations are additionally targeted on lunar regolith.
On the finish of Blue Ghost’s two weeks on the moon, the solar will set on the solar-powered lander, and the probe will energy down. With its final vestiges of battery cost, the lander will file the lunar sundown and a phenomenon final noticed through the remaining Apollo mission, during which magnetic forces agitate the regolith throughout the floor because the solar fades behind the horizon.
