The Blue Ghost lunar probe has captured its first images of the Moon while orbiting the Earth, the Texan company Firefly Aerospace announced this week.
The photographs, published on the X social network, reveal the Moon from the top deck of the lunar module, which is two meters high, as well as a detailed record of the surface of the natural satellite.
On its journey to the Moon, scheduled to land on March 2, Firefly plans to provide regular updates on the mission.
As well as lunar images, the probe has also been recording photos and videos of the Earth, including an impressive solar eclipse seen from space. In one of these records, the Blue Ghost appears temporarily immersed in darkness as the planet blocks out almost all of the Sun’s light. On Friday, Firefly released images of the moment when the Earth eclipses the Moon, captured as the probe followed its trajectory.
“Firefly’s first Moon and Blue Marble images captured by our Blue Ghost lunar lander embodies everything this bold, unstoppable team has worked so hard for over the last three years. And we’re just getting started,” said Will Coogan, Firefly’s Blue Ghost chief engineer, in an email.
Blue Ghost has been orbiting the Earth since January 15, after being launched aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. The lunar spacecraft should leave Earth’s orbit in about a week, beginning a four-day journey to the Moon. Before attempting to land, the module will spend 16 days orbiting the natural satellite.
“Blue Ghost is a third of its way to the Moon, and we expect to capture even more breathtaking imagery,” Coogan said. “Most importantly, we’ll be capturing critical science data for our NASA customers all along the way that will pave the way for a lasting lunar presence and unlock exploration further into our solar system.”
Firefly Aerospace
The lander carries 10 NASA science and technology instruments as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative, which will collect and transmit data about the Moon. CLPS is part of the Artemis program, which aims to take astronauts to the lunar surface for the first time in more than 50 years.
So far, all NASA equipment on board is operating normally, as the space agency’s Artemis blog announced on Monday.
Firefly CEO Jason Kim previously told CNN that he was excited to share the images and footage captured by Blue Ghost.
“There’s a phenomenon called the lunar horizon glow (scattered light caused by floating electrostatic particles) that only the Apollo 15 and 17 astronauts have seen with their eyes,” Kim said. “We’re going to be able to capture that in 4K-by-4K high-definition video and share that with the rest of the world.”
Firefly Aerospace
The company plans to record high-definition images of a total lunar eclipse from the Moon, when the Earth aligns itself between the natural satellite and the Sun along its orbit. For observers on Earth within the range of totality, the Moon will be completely immersed in the Earth’s shadow, acquiring a reddish hue. The phenomenon can be seen between March 13 and 14 in parts of Western Europe, Asia, Australia, Western Africa, the Americas and Antarctica.
If all goes according to plan, the Blue Ghost lander will land on the eastern edge of the visible side of the Moon, near Mons Latreille, an ancient volcanic formation located in the vast Mare Crisium basin, or “Sea of Crises”, more than 483 kilometers in diameter. The module will operate on the lunar surface for one lunar day, equivalent to about 14 Earth days. After this period, it will face the lunar night, where prolonged darkness and extreme temperatures will probably lead to an interruption in its activities.
