Firefly Aerospace has made history by becoming the first commercial company to successfully land on the Moon. The company’s Blue Ghost lunar lander executed a flawless soft landing in Mare Crisium, marking a significant milestone in commercial space exploration. The mission, named Ghost Riders in the Sky, was carried out under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.
Firefly’s CEO, Jason Kim, expressed pride in the company’s groundbreaking success. “Firefly is literally and figuratively over the Moon,” Kim stated in a press release. “Our Blue Ghost lunar lander now has a permanent home on the lunar surface with 10 NASA payloads and a plaque with every Firefly employee’s name. This bold, unstoppable team has proven we’re well equipped to deliver reliable, affordable access to the Moon, and we won’t stop there.”
This mission paves the way for sustained lunar exploration, with Firefly committing to annual lunar missions that will contribute to a long-term human presence on the Moon and beyond.
The Blue Ghost lander successfully touched down at 2:34 a.m. CST on March 2, landing within its 100-meter target near Mons Latreille, a volcanic feature in Mare Crisium. The lander’s shock-absorbing legs ensured a stable and upright position upon touchdown. Firefly’s Mission Operations Center in Cedar Park, Texas, has confirmed successful communication with the lander, which is now ready to begin its scientific operations.
Over the next 14 days, Blue Ghost will conduct a series of surface operations, including lunar subsurface drilling, sample collection, X-ray imaging, and dust mitigation experiments. One of the mission’s highlights will be the capture of high-definition imagery of a total eclipse on March 14, when the Earth will block the Sun from the Moon’s perspective. Additionally, on March 16, Blue Ghost will document the lunar sunset, providing valuable data on lunar dust levitation, a phenomenon first observed by Apollo 17 astronaut Eugene Cernan.
With this successful landing, Firefly Aerospace has demonstrated its expanding role in commercial space exploration. Chief Technology Officer Shea Ferring noted the mission’s broader impact: “With the hardest part behind us, Firefly looks forward to completing more than 14 days of surface operations, again raising the bar for commercial cislunar capabilities.”
The mission has already contributed significant scientific data to NASA’s CLPS initiative, including record-breaking signal tracking from the Global Navigation Satellite System, radiation data collected while passing through the Van Allen Belts, and measurements of magnetic field fluctuations. These contributions further solidify Firefly’s transition from a launch provider to a full-service space company offering launch, lunar, and on-orbit services.
Blue Ghost’s journey to the Moon covered over 2.8 million miles and transmitted more than 27GB of data. Firefly Aerospace will continue to provide mission updates via the Blue Ghost Mission 1 webpage, while NASA’s Artemis blog will share further details on payload operations.
