US Firefly Aerospace accomplishes first commercial lunar landing

Commercial lunar lander Blue Ghost 1 from the American space company Firefly Aerospace successfully landed on the moon on Sunday. It is the second private lunar lander in history to land on the moon’s surface successfully. 

Flight controllers in Austin watched as the Blue Ghost descended on the moon’s surface and erupted in cheers as the firm’s CEO, Jason Kim, confirmed that the spacecraft was “stable and upright.” The vehicle landed precisely and touched down within 100 meters of its target.

Developed by NASA

Blue Ghost 1 left for space on January 15th aboard a Falcon 9 rocket from SpaceX, the space company of tech billionaire Elon Musk. The lander was launched from the Kennedy Space Center in Florida a month and a half ago and traveled 383,000 kilometers. The vehicle was developed by NASA, which wants to use it for a wide range of scientific research.

The first image from the lander revealed rugged, pockmarked terrain that Blue Ghost had to autonomously navigate during its final descent, slowing from thousands of miles an hour to just two mph.

Lack of atmosphere

Moon landings were previously reserved for spacecraft funded by national governments. However, many companies now see opportunities. Last year, the American company Intuitive Machines was the first to land a lander on the moon. Firefly is the second.

Soon, the United States wants to send astronauts to the moon. After being postponed several times, NASA targets a return by mid-2027.