St. Charles native Benjamin Tackett could soon join an exclusive group of space explorers – if his team can successfully execute their mission to the moon. Tackett is one of two systems engineers on Blue Ghost Mission 1 by Texas-based space company Firefly Aerospace. Blue Ghost left Earth on January 15 aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket, launched from the John F. Kennedy Space Center in Florida.
After hitching a ride, the Blue Ghost mission separated from the SpaceX rocket and is scheduled to land on the moon March 2. Blue Ghost will spend approximately 45 days en route to the lunar surface, capturing imagery of the lunar sunset as well as testing samples and collecting data on lunar dusk conditions. It will also deliver 10 payloads of NASA’s science and technology instruments to the surface valued at over $100 million.
"It’s going pretty phenomenal so far," Tackett said, as of January 27. The primary objective of the Blue Ghost mission is to complete a soft landing on the moon, meaning the lander and its payload will touchdown without incurring significant damage—a feat only successfully accomplished by few to date.
Blue Ghost marks Firefly’s first moon mission, and it would be the first successful soft landing executed by a U.S. commercial company. Tackett leads mission operations, overseeing risk management and change control. He explained, "We will be constantly monitoring and operating the Blue Ghost from the Mission Control room in Texas throughout completion." During transit, Blue Ghost is set to capture video footage of its descent and landing, which will be invaluable for enhancing future operations and equipment designs.
The Blue Ghost mission will continue operations for 14 days post-landing—equivalent to one complete lunar day—during which Firefly hopes to capture the first imagery of sunset from the lunar surface. This 60-day mission promises to be the longest operational endeavor of its kind. While on the moon, Blue Ghost will perform various tasks, including subsurface drilling, sample collecting, and measuring radiation and lunar dust.
Tackett emphasized the mission’s goal of gathering substantial data on the moon’s geophysical characteristics and how solar wind interacts with Earth’s magnetic field. He noted, "There are very few organizations with the capability of completing missions of this nature, with SpaceX, NASA, and some national governments being among them. We've studied other missions closely to learn from their mistakes."
This isn’t Tackett’s first venture to space; he previously contributed to Mars missions during his tenure at NASA Langley Research Center. Raised in St. Charles, he attended District 303 schools, including Fox Ridge Elementary, Haines Middle School, and North High School. Tackett earned his master’s degree in aeronautics and astronautics from Purdue University, inspired by his childhood curiosity and his grandfather’s woodshed, where he first learned to take things apart.
During high school, Tackett was not only an honor roll student but also part of the hockey team and was recognized as "Most Spirited" during the 2009 Homecoming. His science teachers, Jim Lotarski and John Meggesin, helped bolster his interest in aerospace. Lotarski, still teaching at St. Charles North, expressed pride at Tackett's accomplishments, saying, "Ben was a great kid. I’m truly honored to be thought of as having contributed to his success."
Tackett shared advice for young people to find their passion, stating, "The best way to find what you love is to try everything." He emphasized the exciting opportunities currently available within the aerospace industry. "Careers in aerospace have become more accessible than before, with diverse avenues available, from manufacturing to engineering. There's something for everyone now—it's the most exciting time to get involved with space and space technology!"
For real-time mission updates, photos, and videos from the lunar lander, interested viewers can access the Blue Ghost Mission 1 web page. A livestream of the landing scheduled for March 2 will be available on Firefly Aerospace’s YouTube channel.
Plans are already set for two additional Blue Ghost missions, planned for 2026 and 2028, to deliver more NASA payloads, landers, rovers, and other technologies to the moon's surface. NASA is sponsoring these payload deliveries via its Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative, with Firefly transporting over $411 million worth of NASA technology throughout the Blue Ghost missions.