Carrying a collection of NASA science and know-how, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 efficiently landed at 3:34 a.m. EST on Sunday close to a volcanic function known as Mons Latreille inside Mare Crisium, a greater than 300-mile-wide basin situated within the northeast quadrant of the Moon’s close to facet.
The Blue Ghost lander is in an upright and steady configuration, and the profitable Moon supply is a part of NASA’s CLPS (Business Lunar Payload Providers) initiative and Artemis marketing campaign. That is the primary CLPS supply for Firefly, and their first Moon touchdown.
The ten NASA science and know-how devices aboard the lander will function on the lunar floor for roughly one lunar day, or about 14 Earth days.
“This unbelievable achievement demonstrates how NASA and American firms are main the way in which in house exploration for the good thing about all,” mentioned NASA appearing Administrator Janet Petro. “We’ve got already discovered many classes – and the technological and science demonstrations onboard Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 will enhance our potential to not solely uncover extra science, however to make sure the protection of our spacecraft devices for future human exploration – each within the brief time period and long run.”
Since launching from NASA’s Kennedy Area Heart in Florida on Jan. 15, Blue Ghost traveled greater than 2.8 million miles, downlinked greater than 27 GB of knowledge, and supported a number of science operations. This included sign monitoring from the International Navigation Satellite tv for pc System (GNSS) at a record-breaking distance of 246,000 miles with the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment payload – exhibiting NASA can use the identical positioning techniques on Earth when on the Moon. Science carried out in the course of the journey additionally included radiation tolerant computing via the Van Allen Belts with the Radiation-Tolerant Laptop System payload and measurements of magnetic discipline modifications in house with the Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder payload.
“The science and know-how we ship to the Moon now helps put together the way in which for future NASA exploration and long-term human presence to encourage the world for generations to come back,” mentioned Nicky Fox, affiliate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We’re sending these payloads by working with American firms – which helps a rising lunar economic system.”
Throughout floor operations, the NASA devices will take a look at and show lunar subsurface drilling know-how, regolith pattern assortment capabilities, international navigation satellite tv for pc system talents, radiation tolerant computing, and lunar mud mitigation strategies. The info captured will profit humanity by offering insights into how house climate and different cosmic forces influence Earth.
Earlier than payload operations conclude, groups will intention to seize imagery of the lunar sundown and the way lunar mud reacts to photo voltaic influences throughout lunar nightfall situations, a phenomenon first documented by former NASA astronaut Eugene Cernan on Apollo 17. Following the lunar sundown, the lander will function for a number of hours into the lunar night time.
“On behalf of our complete staff, I need to thank NASA for entrusting Firefly as their lunar supply supplier,” mentioned Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. “Blue Ghost’s profitable Moon touchdown has laid the groundwork for the way forward for industrial exploration throughout cislunar house. We’re now trying ahead to greater than 14 days of floor operations to unlock much more science knowledge that may have a considerable influence on future missions to the Moon and Mars.”
So far, 5 distributors have been awarded 11 lunar deliveries underneath CLPS and are sending greater than 50 devices to varied places on the Moon, together with the lunar South Pole. Present CLPS contracts are indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts with a cumulative most contract worth of $2.6 billion via 2028.
Be taught extra about NASA’s CLPS initiative at:
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Amber Jacobson / Karen Fox
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
amber.c.jacobson@nasa.gov / karen.c.fox@nasa.gov
Natalia Riusech / Nilufar Ramji
Johnson Area Heart, Houston
281-483-5111
nataila.s.riusech@nasa.gov / nilufar.ramji@nasa.gov
Antonia Jaramillo
Kennedy Area Heart, Florida
321-501-8425
antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov
