A tiny spacecraft is making big waves in space. Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander is heading to the moon but has already captured a rare celestial moment—a tiny lunar eclipse. While orbiting Earth, it has been sending back stunning images, including one where our planet briefly eclipses the distant moon.
Mission Progress and Lunar Plans
Blue Ghost launched on January 15, 2025, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center. Since its launch, it has remained in Earth’s orbit, undergoing system checks before its key engine burn. This maneuver will push it toward the moon on a four-day voyage. Firefly Aerospace tweeted, "I spy with my little lander, a Moon in the distance. Check out Blue Ghost's amazing view of Earth eclipsing the Moon as the lander travels on orbit. Our #GhostRiders can't wait to share more postcard worthy moments as we continue on our roadtrip. #BGM1"
The lander is carrying ten NASA research payloads aimed at studying the lunar environment. This mission is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program, which aims to support future Artemis moon missions. Blue Ghost is set to land in Mare Crisium (Sea of Crises) on the moon’s near side.
Blue Ghost and Resilience: Two Paths to the Moon
Interestingly, Blue Ghost was not the only lunar lander on the Falcon 9 rocket. Another lander, Resilience, built by the Japanese company ispace, was also onboard but operates on a different timeline. Resilience is taking a slower route and aims to land in Mare Frigoris (Sea of Cold) about four months later. It also carries a mini-rover named Tenacious, which will collect moon dust for NASA. Meanwhile, Blue Ghost will attempt its landing within approximately one month and is set to operate on the lunar surface for about two weeks, or one full lunar day.
Final Moments of the Mission
After completing its scientific tasks, Blue Ghost will shut down as the lunar night begins. Before powering off, it will capture one last sunset on the moon. Scientists are eager to observe a rare phenomenon last seen during Apollo 17, where magnetic forces cause moon dust to shift as the sun disappears. Firefly Aerospace’s first moon mission is already delivering breathtaking space images, with the world watching closely to see if Blue Ghost can successfully land and achieve its scientific goals.
Blue Origin’s New Shepard Mission
Meanwhile, Blue Origin’s New Shepard rocket is gearing up for its launch on January 31, 2025. Originally scheduled for January 28, the launch was postponed due to weather conditions. The uncrewed rocket will launch the NS-29 mission from its West Texas site, carrying 30 different experiments, most of which belong to NASA, focusing on technologies for lunar exploration.
This launch marks Blue Origin’s first suborbital rocket flight of 2025. Company officials have noted the rocket will try out a spin trick move to simulate the moon’s gravity during the flight. Although the exact launch time hasn’t been disclosed, FAA alerts indicate the launch could happen during the window opening at 11 am on January 31.
According to Blue Origin, viewers can watch the rocket's takeoff through various outlets, including online streaming on Blue Origin’s website and YouTube page.
New Shepard’s Experiments
Of the 30 experiments on the NS-29 mission, 29 aim to test technologies for lunar applications. Among them, 17 are NASA-led initiatives meant to assess various instruments, anchors, and dust conveyors. NASA officials highlighted, "the flight is expected to provide approximately two minutes of simulated lunar gravity, allowing researchers to test and de-risk innovations to address significant shortfalls for the Artemis program, planetary exploration, and commercial space missions." One notable experiment involves examining how moon dust behaves when electrically charged and exposed to ultraviolet light.
The rocket will also carry the Fluidic Operations in Reduced Gravity Experiment, which studies the management of gases and liquids aboard spacecraft. Another intriguing experiment is the Lunar-g Combustion Investigation, known as LUCI. This study aims to understand the behavior of materials when ignited under lunar gravity conditions.
With both Firefly’s Blue Ghost and Blue Origin’s New Shepard embarking on significant missions dedicated to lunar research, the future of lunar exploration looks promising. Both missions highlight the growing collaboration among private aerospace companies and government space agencies to deepen our knowledge of the moon and pave the way for future expeditions.