Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost moon lander is on its strategy to the moon.The Blue Ghost lander finished its first primary engine burn all through its adventure to the lunar floor, which is anticipated to take a complete of 45 days. Blue Ghost will orbit Earth for 21 extra days ahead of it embarks on a four-day shuttle to achieve lunar orbit. As soon as there, it is going to spend 16 days circling the moon ahead of making its approach down to aim a touchdown at the lunar floor, if all is going in line with plan.On Tuesday (Jan. 20), NASA launched an replace about one of the crucial 10 medical payloads the company is sending to the moon on Blue Ghost, declaring that the experiment has effectively received a sign whilst 205,674 miles (331,000 kilometers) from Earth’s floor. The replace was once launched together with a timelapse video that presentations Earth eclipsing the solar as observed from the point of view of the lander whilst en path to the moon.
A nonetheless from a video shot by means of Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander on its strategy to the moon on Jan. 19, 2025. (Symbol credit score: Firefly Aerospace)The software about which NASA launched an replace, referred to as the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE), is designed to display and check satellite-based place, navigation and timing programs with regards to and at the moon. GPS satellites are a kind of GNSS era, as are the Eu Union’s Galileo navigation spacecraft.LuGRE was once in a position to obtain a sign from each GPS and Galileo constellations whilst at 90% of the space to the moon, surroundings an Earth-moon “sign distance document,” in line with NASA’s commentary.Apart from effectively trying out LuGRE, NASA and Firefly Aerospace say Blue Ghost stays wholesome because it prepares to make for lunar orbit someday subsequent month.In an replace posted to X, Firefly Aerospace mentioned the lander achieved its first burn with a top stage of precision, surroundings the spacecraft up for its upcoming translunar injection burn that can put it on track for the moon.Breaking house information, the newest updates on rocket launches, skywatching occasions and extra!Blue Ghost introduced on Jan. 15 atop a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket sporting now not one however two moon landers; ispace’s Resilience lander was once additionally alongside for the experience.When Blue Ghost — Firefly’s first-ever moon lander — reaches the lunar floor, it is going to deploy or function 10 NASA science experiments. It’s constructed to function for roughly two Earth weeks, or one lunar day, ahead of the solar units and sooner or later depletes the lander’s energy supply.As soon as evening starts surroundings at the moon, the lander will take pictures of the lunar sundown and measure how lunar regolith (moon mud) reacts to nightfall and sundown at the moon.Blue Ghost will then function for a couple of hours into the evening ahead of its batteries die.
