A Private Space Mission Just Successfully Landed on the Moon for the First Time
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Summary
Firefly Aerospace has successfully landed on the surface of the moon with its Blue Ghost lunar module, becoming the first private company to do so.
It touched down at Mare Crisium, on the lunar surface, on March 2, with NASA stating that the Blue Ghost lander was in a stable vertical position.
The module is carrying 10 science and technology instruments for the space agency, which will operate on the moon’s surface for one lunar day – the equivalent of 14 days on Earth.
The instruments onboard are designed to learn more about the lunar environment to support future human exploration of both the moon and Mars.
Firefly’s achievement comes under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, which gives funding to private companies to build landers that can transport NASA instruments and equipment to the moon.
