Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander is set to make history by landing on the moon’s Mare Crisium on March 2 at 3:45 a.m. Eastern time. The mission, part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Service (CLPS), will carry a variety of scientific payloads, including equipment to measure heat flow from the moon’s interior and an X-ray camera. This marks the third CLPS mission, following failed attempts by Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines.
The landing time, although not ideal for viewers due to the early hour, is strategically chosen to coincide with the dawn of a new lunar day so the lander can utilize its solar panels efficiently. The mission has had its share of minor challenges, but overall, Blue Ghost has performed nearly perfectly so far. The spacecraft successfully entered orbit on February 13 after a 4-day journey from Earth.
Additionally, the Blue Ghost mission’s launch also included Resilience, a lunar lander built by Ispace of Japan. Despite launching at the same time, Resilience is taking a different, more fuel-efficient route to the moon and is expected to enter lunar orbit in early May.
As the moon becomes an increasingly popular destination for robotic spacecraft this year, the world will be watching closely as Blue Ghost aims to make its historic landing on the lunar surface. Fans can tune in to live coverage of the landing beginning at 2:20 a.m. on Firefly’s YouTube channel to witness this exciting moment in space exploration.
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