Blue Ghost captures breathtaking images in its pursuit to reach the moon

Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander is steadily progressing on its journey to the Moon, capturing breathtaking images along the way. Launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket on January 15, 2025, the lander has already demonstrated impressive precision in its trajectory, eliminating the need for a planned third Earth orbit maneuver.

This efficiency sets it up favorably for its trans-lunar injection burn, scheduled for February 9, which will propel it toward the Moon on a four-day transit.

Part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, Blue Ghost is carrying ten scientific payloads designed to study the lunar environment, with a targeted landing in Mare Crisium (a dark plain in the first quadrant of the face of the moon) on March 2, 2025.

The lander will operate for a full lunar day—about 14 Earth days—conducting experiments on lunar regolith, geophysical characteristics, and solar wind interactions. Among the key instruments onboard is the SCALPSS 1.1 system, which will capture images of engine plumes interacting with the Moon’s surface upon landing.

Another crucial payload, the LEXI X-ray imager, developed in collaboration with Boston University, NASA, and Johns Hopkins, is undergoing daily calibration in preparation for its role in studying solar wind interactions with Earth's magnetic field.

Since its launch, Blue Ghost has provided stunning visuals of Earth from space, including a captivating video of the planet eclipsing the Moon. These images evoke comparisons to iconic space photography like the "Blue Marble." The lander also recorded Earth eclipsing the Sun, adding to its growing collection of celestial imagery.

As it nears its lunar destination, Blue Ghost continues to send valuable data back to mission control in Texas. With a total mission duration of 60 days—spanning Earth orbit, lunar transit, and surface operations—the lander is poised to contribute critical insights for future human exploration under the Artemis program.