Firefly's BlueGhost Has "Left The Building!" -- On Its Way To The Lunar Surface (And A March 2, 2025 Automated Touchdown)...

In addition to the Blue Origin heavy rocket reaching orbit, we've been thrilled about this private robotic lunar mission's successes. [We need more competitors to Elon Muskian efforts.]

So it is, that the BlueGhost is now making a leisurely stroll out toward -- and beyond -- the Moon. Then it will begin a series of tightening loops, ultimately setting down around March 2, 2025. Here's the latest update:

. . .Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander successfully powered on as it continues its way to the Moon, carrying NASA science demonstrations as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign. [Updated: Flight controllers for Blue Ghost Mission 1 said Wednesday that the company’s spacecraft continues to meet mission milestones including acquisition of signal, and maintaining communications through its Mission Operations Center in Cedar Park, Texas. The camera above the deck of the lander was powered up, and shot a great image, confirming the health of the X-band antenna and NASA’s Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager (LEXI) payload. . . .]

Blue Ghost is expected to land on the lunar surface on Sunday, March 2 and, throughout its mission, NASA’s scientific instruments aim to test and demonstrate lunar subsurface drilling technology, regolith sample collection capabilities, global navigation satellite system abilities, radiation tolerant computing, and lunar dust mitigation methods. The data captured could also benefit humans on Earth by providing insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces impact Earth. . . .

Now you know. Quite the busy news day -- on world, and off it. Smile.

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