‘Moon Dust On Our Boots’: Firefly’s Blue Ghost Makes Lunar Landing

2 March LunaSociety Lunar Missions, NASA 0

Firefly's Blue Ghost Lander Shadow On Moon (Photo)
Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander casts a shadow on the Moon after touching down on March 2. (Courtesy of Firefly Aerospace)

Firefly Aerospace‘s Blue Ghost lunar lander successfully touched down on the Moon at 3:34 a.m. EST on March 2, 2025, marking a significant milestone in private space exploration.

The lander, approximately the size of a compact car, carried ten scientific payloads for NASA, including instruments designed to analyze the lunar regolith, measure heat flow, and test radiation-tolerant computing technologies.

Firefly's Blue Ghost Lander (Illustration)
Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander. (Illustration courtesy of Firefly Aerospace)

This mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which aims to foster a private lunar market and support future astronaut missions under the Artemis program.

After a 45-day journey, Blue Ghost landed near Mare Crisium, a 300-mile-wide basin located in the Moon’s northeastern quadrant. The approximate landing coordinates are 17.0°N latitude and 59.1°E longitude, near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille.

Firefly Blue Ghost Landing Site (Photo Map)
Mons Latreille in Mare Crisium, showing the approximate area in which Blue Ghost landed. (Luna Society Photo Map)

This successful landing positions Firefly as the first private company to achieve a fully successful soft landing on the Moon, paving the way for future commercial lunar exploration endeavors.

Firefly Blue Ghost Descent Plan (Illustration)
The descent path of Firefly’s Blue Ghost mission to the Moon. (Courtesy of Firefly Aerospace)

Related Links:

Firefly Aerospace Official Website

NASA News Release: Firefly’s Blue Ghost Lands on Moon

Reuters: US Firm Firefly Scores Its First Moon Landing

CBS News: Texas Company Pulls Off Successful Commercial Moon Landing