Firefly has announced that its “Blue Ghost” spacecraft has captured a stunning video showing the dark side of the moon while it was preparing to land on the lunar surface. Firefly is one of the private companies selected via NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, the purpose of which is to transport NASA equipment to the moon in service of NASA’s goal: returning astronauts to the moon for a future Mars mission.
The video released by Firefly shows the moon’s surface rolling by underneath the Blue Ghost as it attempts to land. In its blog, Firefly revealed that the video captured the far side of the moon along with “a top-down view of Blue Ghost’s RCS thrusters (center) and radiator panels on each side.”
When capturing this video, Blue Ghost was attempting to land on the moon, so there were concerns about whether it would land successfully. However, the company announced that on the 2nd of March, Blue Ghost landed successfully in Mare Crisium carrying 10 NASA instruments at 2:34 am CST. Thereafter, Blue Ghost will begin its surface operations, which “include lunar subsurface drilling, sample collection, X-ray imaging, and dust mitigation experiments.”
The landing generated excitement all over, but especially within the company. Firefly’s CEO Jason Kim said the company is “literally and figuratively over the Moon.” He added that Firefly is laying the groundwork for a permanent presence on the moon that will make it easy to access other planets.
As exciting as Blue Ghost landing might be, it is not the first of its kind. Intuitive Machines, another private company selected through NASA’s CLPS program, successfully landed its spacecraft over a year ago in February 2024. Although both spacecraft transmit data to the earth, there is a key difference between the two landings: Intuitive Machines’ lander touche down roughly on its side, while Blue Ghost alighted smoothly in an upright position. This makes Blue Ghost the first private spacecraft to land on the moon in an upright position, a key capability for reusable spacecraft.