The Latest Update on Firefly Aerospace's Next Blue Ghost Moon Mission...

NASA / JPL - Caltech

NASA JPL Shakes Things Up Testing Future Commercial Lunar Spacecraft (News Release)

As Firefly Aerospace prepares to follow its successful soft landing on the Moon, an engineering model for its next lander is being put through its paces.

The same historic facilities that some 50 years ago prepared NASA’s twin Voyager probes for their ongoing interstellar odyssey are helping to ready a towering commercial spacecraft for a journey to the Moon. Launches involve brutal shaking and astonishingly loud noises, and testing in these facilities mimics those conditions to help ensure that mission hardware can survive the ordeal. The latest spacecraft to get this treatment are Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 2 vehicles, set to launch to the Moon’s far side next year.

The Environmental Test Laboratory at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California is where dozens of robotic spacecraft have been subjected to powerful jolts, extended rattling, high-decibel blasts of sound, and frigid and scorching temperatures, among other trials. Constructed in the 1960s and modernized over the years, the facilities have prepared every NASA spacecraft built or assembled at JPL for the rigors of space, from the Ranger spacecraft of the dawning Space Age to the Perseverance Mars rover to Europa Clipper, currently en route to the Jupiter system.

That legacy, and the decades of accumulated experience of the Environmental Test Laboratory team at JPL, is also supporting industry efforts to return to the Moon as part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and its Artemis campaign, which will bring astronauts back to the lunar surface.

In recent months, a full-scale model of Firefly’s uncrewed Blue Ghost Mission 2 spacecraft was put through its paces by the experts in the lab’s vibration and acoustic testing facilities. Lessons learned with this model, called a structural qualification unit, will be applied to upcoming testing of the spacecraft that will fly to the Moon as early as 2026 through NASA’s CLPS.

“There’s a lot of knowledge gained over the years, passed from one generation of JPL engineers to another, that we bring to bear to support our own missions as well as commercial efforts,” said Michel William, a JPL engineer in the Environmental Test Laboratory who led the testing. “The little details that go into getting these tests right — nobody teaches you that in school, and it’s such a critical piece of space launch.”

Testing just right

The Environmental Test Laboratory team led environmental testing for Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 lander in 2024, and seeing the spacecraft achieve a soft Moon landing in March was a point of pride for them. Firefly’s next CLPS delivery debuts a dual-spacecraft configuration and hosts multiple international payloads, with the company’s Elytra Dark orbital vehicle stacked below the Blue Ghost lunar lander. Standing 22 feet (6.9 meters) high, the full structure is more than three times as tall as the Mission 1 lander.

This fall, a structural qualification model of the full stack was clamped to a “shaker table” inside a clean room at JPL and repeatedly rattled in three directions while hundreds of sensors monitored the rapid movement. Then, inside a separate acoustic testing chamber, giant horns blared at it from openings built into the room’s 16-inch-thick (41-centimeter-thick) concrete walls. The horns use compressed nitrogen gas to pummel spacecraft with up to 153 decibels, noise loud enough to cause permanent hearing loss in a human.

Each type of test involves several increasingly intense iterations. Between rounds, JPL’s dynamics environment experts analyze the data to compare what the spacecraft experienced to computer model predictions. Sometimes a discrepancy leads to hardware modifications, sometimes a tweak to the computer model. Engineers and technicians are careful to push the hardware, but not too far.

“You can either under-test or over-test, and both are bad,” William said. “If you over-test, you can break your hardware. If you under-test, it can break on the rocket. It’s a fine line.”

Since the model isn’t itself launching to the Moon, Firefly’s recent Environmental Test Laboratory visit didn’t include several types of trials that are generally completed only for flight hardware. A launch pad-bound spacecraft would undergo electromagnetic testing to ensure that signals from its electronic parts don’t interfere with one another. And, in what is probably the most well-known environmental test, flight-bound hardware is baked or chilled at extreme temperatures in a thermal vacuum chamber from which all of the air is sucked out.

The multiple thermal vacuum chamber facilities at JPL include two large historic “space simulators” built within NASA’s first few years of existence: a chamber that’s 10 feet in diameter and another that’s 25 feet across.

Qualifying for launch

The completion of Environmental Test Laboratory testing on Firefly’s structural qualification model helps prove that the spacecraft will survive its ride out of Earth’s atmosphere aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket. Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 2 team is now turning its focus to completing assembly and testing of the flight hardware for launch.

Once at the Moon, the Blue Ghost lander will touch down on the far side, delivering its payloads to the surface. Those include LuSEE-Night, a radio telescope that is a joint effort by NASA, the U.S. Department of Energy, and University of California, Berkeley’s Space Sciences Laboratory. A payload developed at JPL called User Terminal will test a compact, low-cost S-band radio communications system that could enable future far-side missions to talk to each other and to relay orbiters.

Meantime, Firefly’s Elytra Dark orbital vehicle will have deployed into lunar orbit ESA’s (European Space Agency’s) Lunar Pathfinder communications satellite — a payload on which NASA is collaborating. Both vehicles will remain in orbit and able to relay data from the far-side surface back to Earth.

“Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 2 will deliver both NASA and international commercial payloads to further prove out technologies for Artemis and help enable a long-term presence on the Moon,” said Ray Allensworth, Firefly’s spacecraft program director. “The extensive spacecraft environmental testing we did at JPL for Mission 1 was a critical step in Firefly’s test campaign for our historic lunar mission. Now we’re collaborating again to support a successful repeat on the Moon that will unlock even more insights for future robotic and human missions.”

Source: Jet Propulsion Laboratory

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NASA / JPL - Caltech

Blue Origin's Giant Orbital-class Rocket Has Successfully Flown for the Second Time...

Blue Origin

New Glenn Launches NASA’s ESCAPADE, Lands Fully-Reusable Booster (News Release)

Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Fla. — The New Glenn orbital launch vehicle successfully completed its second mission, deploying NASA’s Escape and Plasma Acceleration and Dynamics Explorers (ESCAPADE) twin spacecraft into the designated loiter orbit, and landing the fully-reusable first stage on Jacklyn in the Atlantic Ocean.

New Glenn’s seven BE-4 engines ignited on Thursday, November 13, 2025, at 3:55:01 PM EST / 20:55:01 UTC from Launch Complex 36 at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station.

“We achieved full mission success today, and I am so proud of the team,” said Dave Limp, CEO, Blue Origin. “It turns out Never Tell Me The Odds had perfect odds—never before in history has a booster this large nailed the landing on the second try. This is just the beginning as we rapidly scale our flight cadence and continue delivering for our customers.”

The ESCAPADE spacecraft will begin their journey to Mars once the planets have returned to the ideal alignment in fall 2026. ESCAPADE will use two identical spacecraft to investigate how the solar wind interacts with Mars’ magnetic environment and how this interaction drives the planet’s atmospheric escape. In addition to deploying the NASA spacecraft, the Viasat HaloNet demonstration onboard New Glenn’s second stage successfully executed the first flight test of Viasat’s telemetry data relay service for NASA’s Communications Services Project.

“Congratulations to Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, UC Berkeley and all of our partners on the successful launch of ESCAPADE," said the acting NASA Administrator, Secretary Sean Duffy. "This heliophysics mission will help reveal how Mars became a desert planet, and how solar eruptions affect the Martian surface. Every launch of New Glenn provides data that will be essential when we launch MK-1 through Artemis.”

New Glenn is foundational to advancing our customers’ critical missions and our own. The vehicle underpins our efforts to establish sustained human presence on the Moon, harness in-space resources, provide multi-mission, multi-orbit mobility through Blue Ring, and establish destinations in low-Earth orbit.

The New Glenn program has several vehicles in production and multiple years of orders. In addition to NASA and Viasat, customers include Amazon’s Project Kuiper, AST SpaceMobile, and several telecommunications providers, among others. The mission marked the vehicle’s second National Security Space Launch (NSSL) certification flight.

Blue Origin is certifying New Glenn with the U.S. Space Force for the NSSL program to meet emerging national security objectives.

"Today was a tremendous achievement for the New Glenn team, opening a new era for Blue Origin and the industry as we look to launch, land, repeat, again and again," said Jordan Charles, Vice President, New Glenn. "We've made significant progress on manufacturing at rate and building ahead of need. Our primary focus remains focused on increasing our cadence and working through our manifest."

Source: Blue Origin

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Blue Origin


Blue Origin


Blue Origin


Blue Origin


Blue Origin

Rocket Lab


Rocket Lab / UC Berkeley

Brought Back from Cancellation, Artemis' Robotic Rover Has Found a New Ride to the Lunar Surface...

Blue Origin

NASA Selects Blue Origin to Deliver VIPER Rover to Moon’s South Pole (News Release)

As part of the agency’s Artemis campaign, NASA has awarded Blue Origin of Kent, Washington, a CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) task order with an option to deliver a rover to the Moon’s South Pole region. NASA’s VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) will search for volatile resources, such as ice, on the lunar surface and collect science data to support future exploration at the Moon and Mars.

“NASA is leading the world in exploring more of the Moon than ever before, and this delivery is just one of many ways we’re leveraging U.S. industry to support a long-term American presence on the lunar surface,” said acting NASA Administrator Sean Duffy. “Our rover will explore the extreme environment of the lunar South Pole, traveling to small, permanently shadowed regions to help inform future landing sites for our astronauts and better understand the Moon’s environment – important insights for sustaining humans over longer missions, as America leads our future in space.”

The CLPS task order has a total potential value of $190 million. This is the second CLPS lunar delivery awarded to Blue Origin. Their first delivery – using their Blue Moon Mark 1 (MK1) robotic lander – is targeted for launch later this year to deliver NASA’s Stereo Cameras for Lunar-Plume Surface Studies and Laser Retroreflective Array payloads to the Moon’s South Pole region.

With this new award, Blue Origin will deliver VIPER to the lunar surface in late 2027, using a second Blue Moon MK1 lander, which is in production. NASA previously canceled the VIPER project and has since explored alternative approaches to achieve the agency’s goals of mapping potential off-planet resources, like water.

“NASA is committed to studying and exploring the Moon, including learning more about water on the lunar surface, to help determine how we can harness local resources for future human exploration,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We’ve been looking for creative, cost-effective approaches to accomplish these exploration goals. This private sector-developed landing capability enables this delivery and focuses our investments accordingly – supporting American leadership in space and ensuring our long-term exploration is robust and affordable.”

The task order, called CS-7, has an award base to design the payload-specific accommodations and to demonstrate how Blue Origin’s flight design will off-load the rover to the lunar surface. There is an option on the contract to deliver and safely deploy the rover to the Moon’s surface. NASA will make the decision to exercise that option after the execution and review of the base task and of Blue Origin’s first flight of the Blue Moon MK1 lander.

This unique approach will reduce the agency’s cost and technical risk. The rover has a targeted science window for its 100-day mission that requires a landing by late 2027.

Blue Origin is responsible for the complete landing mission architecture and will conduct design, analysis and testing of a large lunar lander capable of safely delivering the lunar volatiles science rover to the Moon. Blue Origin will also handle end-to-end payload integration, planning and support, and post-landing payload deployment activities. NASA will conduct rover operations and science planning.

“The search for lunar volatiles plays a key role in NASA’s exploration of the Moon, with important implications for both science and human missions under Artemis,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters. “This delivery could show us where ice is most likely to be found and easiest to access, as a future resource for humans. And by studying these sources of lunar water, we also gain valuable insight into the distribution and origin of volatiles across the Solar System, helping us better understand the processes that have shaped our space environment and how our inner Solar System has evolved.”

Through CLPS, American companies continue to demonstrate leadership in commercial space advancing capabilities and accomplishing NASA’s goal for a commercial lunar economy. NASA’s Ames Research Center in California’s Silicon Valley led the VIPER rover development and will lead its science investigations, and NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston provided rover engineering development for Ames.

Source: NASA.Gov

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NASA

Send Your Name to the Moon Early Next Year!

NASA

Launch Your Name Around Moon in 2026 on NASA’s Artemis II Mission (News Release - September 9)

NASA is inviting the public to join the agency’s Artemis II test flight as four astronauts venture around the Moon and back to test systems and hardware needed for deep space exploration. As part of the agency’s “Send Your Name with Artemis II” effort, anyone can claim their spot by signing up before January 21.

Participants will launch their name aboard the Orion spacecraft and SLS (Space Launch System) rocket alongside NASA astronauts Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch and CSA (Canadian Space Agency) astronaut Jeremy Hansen.

“Artemis II is a key test flight in our effort to return humans to the Moon’s surface and build toward future missions to Mars, and it’s also an opportunity to inspire people across the globe and to give them an opportunity to follow along as we lead the way in human exploration deeper into space,” said Lori Glaze, acting associate administrator, Exploration Systems Development Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

The collected names will be put on an SD card loaded aboard Orion before launch. In return, participants can download a boarding pass with their name on it as a collectable.

To add your name and receive an English-language boarding pass, visit:

https://go.nasa.gov/artemisnames
To add your name and receive a Spanish-language boarding pass, visit:

https://go.nasa.gov/TuNombreArtemis
As part of a Golden Age of innovation and exploration, the approximately 10-day Artemis II test flight, launching no later than April 2026, is the first crewed flight under NASA’s Artemis campaign. It is another step towards new U.S.-crewed missions on the Moon’s surface that will help the agency prepare to send the first astronauts – Americans – to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Brandon Hancock


NASA

The Second Blue Ghost Lander Will Carry a Wheeled Passenger Built in the Middle East to the Lunar Surface...

Firefly Aerospace

Firefly Aerospace Adds UAE’s Rashid 2 Rover to Blue Ghost Mission to the Far Side of the Moon (Press Release)

Cedar Park, Texas – Firefly Aerospace, the leader in end-to-end responsive space services, today announced a new agreement with the United Arab Emirates’ Mohammed Bin Rashid Space Centre (MBRSC) to deliver the Emirates Lunar Mission’s Rashid 2 Rover to the far side of the Moon on Firefly’s Blue Ghost lander. The Rashid 2 Rover will join Firefly’s second lunar mission in 2026 in addition to payloads from Australia, the European Space Agency and NASA as part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative.

“On the heels of Firefly’s flawless Moon landing and operations, our team is looking forward to collaborating with the UAE and further expanding our representation of Artemis Accords nations on this groundbreaking mission to the far side of the Moon,” said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. “We’re honored to support the international space community with our versatile Blue Ghost lander and Elytra spacecraft that can stack together to provide unique access to both lunar orbit and the lunar surface.”

The Rashid 2 Rover will demonstrate lunar surface mobility on the far side of the Moon and utilize various materials on its wheels to evaluate their durability when exposed to lunar dust. The data collected will help guide the development of future lunar technologies, such as spacesuits, habitats and other critical infrastructure. Utilizing multiple cameras and probes, the rover will also study the Moon’s plasma, geology and thermal conditions in support of future in-situ resource utilization.

“The strategic agreement signed with Firefly Aerospace marks a significant advancement in the UAE’s growing role in shaping the future of lunar exploration,” said H.E. Salem Humaid AlMarri, Director General of MBRSC. “Through the Emirates Lunar Mission’s Rashid 2 Rover, the UAE will become one of the few nations to explore the far side of the Moon. The mission will deliver valuable scientific data on the lunar surface, plasma environment and dust behavior—contributing to global knowledge and supporting future lunar infrastructure development. As we prepare for this historic milestone, we remain dedicated to expanding the UAE’s contributions to humanity’s long-term presence in space.”

During Blue Ghost Mission 2 operations, Firefly’s Elytra vehicle will first deploy the Blue Ghost lander and the European Space Agency’s Lunar Pathfinder satellite in lunar orbit. Blue Ghost will then touch down on the far side of the Moon to deliver the UAE’s Rashid 2 Rover, Australia’s Fleet Space SPIDER payload, and NASA’s LuSEE-Night radio telescope and User Terminal. Elytra will remain in lunar orbit to provide long-haul communications and enable radio frequency calibration services for LuSEE-Night.

The payloads flying on this international mission will advance the growing lunar ecosystem by searching for lunar resources, enhancing surface mobility on the Moon, improving lunar communications, and uncovering new insights about the origins of the Universe.

Firefly has already begun qualifying and assembling flight hardware for Blue Ghost Mission 2, which will follow Firefly’s first lunar mission that completed the first fully-successful commercial Moon landing on March 2 and completed 14 days of surface operations on March 16, marking the longest commercial operations on the Moon to date.

Source: Firefly Aerospace

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Hardware progress accelerates for #BlueGhost Mission 2! We just fired up our new prop and welding cleanroom at our Spacecraft Facility to complete first welds on a flight panel for Elytra Dark - our lunar orbiter and Blue Ghost transfer vehicle. Meanwhile, at our Rocket Ranch,… pic.twitter.com/VEIdk9x7pr

— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) May 21, 2025

The Launch of the Artemis Lunar Rover Remains Up in the Air...

NASA

NASA to Explore Additional Methods to Send VIPER to Moon (News Release)

Following an evaluation of partnership proposals to land a water-seeking robot on the lunar surface, NASA is instead opting to explore alternative approaches to deliver its VIPER (Volatiles Investigating Polar Exploration Rover) rover to the Moon.

NASA announced on Wednesday that it is canceling its Lunar Volatiles Science Partnership Announcement for Partnership Proposals solicitation, which sought opportunities to send VIPER to the Moon at no cost to the government.

“We appreciate the efforts of those who proposed to the Lunar Volatiles Science Partnership Announcement for Partnership Proposals call,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We look forward to accomplishing future volatiles science with VIPER as we continue NASA’s Moon to Mars exploration efforts.”

NASA has been investigating how to get the rover to the Moon after the project was canceled in July 2024. The agency will announce a new strategy for VIPER in the future.

The formal proposal cancellation will post on the government procurement site:

https://sam.gov

Source: NASA.Gov

NASA Is Trying to Put a Positive Spin on a Crappy Budget Proposal by a Crappy Administration...

NASA / JPL - Caltech

President Trump’s FY26 Budget Revitalizes Human Space Exploration (News Release)

The Trump-Vance Administration released toplines of the President’s budget for Fiscal Year 2026 on Friday. The budget accelerates human space exploration of the Moon and Mars with a fiscally-responsible portfolio of missions.

“This proposal includes investments to simultaneously pursue exploration of the Moon and Mars while still prioritizing critical science and technology research,” said acting NASA Administrator Janet Petro. “I appreciate the President’s continued support for NASA’s mission and look forward to working closely with the administration and Congress to ensure we continue making progress toward achieving the impossible.”

-- Increased commitment to human space exploration in pursuit of exploration of both the Moon and Mars. By allocating more than $7 billion for lunar exploration and introducing $1 billion in new investments for Mars-focused programs, the budget ensures that America’s human space exploration efforts remain unparalleled, innovative and efficient.

-- Refocus science and space technology resources to efficiently execute high priority research. Consistent with the administration’s priority of returning to the Moon before China and putting an American on Mars, the budget will advance priority science and research missions and projects, ending financially unsustainable programs including Mars Sample Return. It emphasizes investments in transformative space technologies while responsibly shifting projects better suited for private sector leadership.

-- Transition the Artemis campaign to a more sustainable, cost-effective approach to lunar exploration. The SLS (Space Launch System) rocket and Orion capsule will be retired after Artemis III, paving the way for more cost-effective, next-generation commercial systems that will support subsequent NASA lunar missions. The budget also ends the Gateway Program, with the opportunity to repurpose already-produced components for use in other missions.

International partners will be invited to join these renewed efforts, expanding opportunities for meaningful collaboration on the Moon and Mars.

-- Continue the process of transitioning the International Space Station to commercial replacements in 2030, focusing onboard research on efforts critical to the exploration of the Moon and Mars. The budget reflects the upcoming transition to a more cost-effective, open commercial approach to human activities in low-Earth orbit by reducing the space station’s crew size and onboard research, preparing for the safe decommissioning of the station and its replacement by commercial space stations.

-- Work to minimize duplication of efforts and most efficiently steward the allocation of American taxpayer dollars. This budget ensures that NASA’s topline enables a financially-sustainable trajectory to complete groundbreaking research and execute the agency’s bold mission.

-- Focus NASA’s resources on its core mission of space exploration. This budget ends climate-focused “green aviation” spending while protecting the development of technologies with air traffic control and other U.S. government and commercial applications, producing savings. This budget will also ensure continued elimination of any funding toward misaligned DEIA initiatives, instead designating that money to missions capable of advancing NASA’s core mission.

NASA will continue to inspire the next generation of explorers through exciting, ambitious space missions that demonstrate American leadership in space. The agency will coordinate closely with its partners to execute these priorities and investments as efficiently and effectively as possible.

Building on the President’s promise to increase efficiency this budget pioneers a focused, innovative and fiscally-responsible path to America’s next great era of human space exploration.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Brandon Hancock


NASA

Mars Sample Return will be cancelled, SLS and Orion will be retired after Artemis III, and Gateway will be cancelled...with existing components possibly being repurposed for other missions.

In other words: Fuck you, Trump. https://t.co/U0tX35soeq

— Rich Par (@AstroPnoy) May 2, 2025

The rumors we reported on were right, but the reality is worse than we thought. Here’s what you need to know. ⬇️

💰 The “budget blueprint” or “skinny budget.” This is the first part of the President's Budget Request, providing a high-level overview of what’s to come later this… pic.twitter.com/OunZUyRY9k

— Planetary Society (@exploreplanets) May 2, 2025

It is legitimately disgusting to try to spin a $6.3b cut to NASA as anything but a concerted effort by the WH to cripple America’s future in space, like critical thinking is VERY important here. A $6.3b cut and killing Orion is in no way a “increased commitment” https://t.co/A0Qoe4h9iX

— Maddie Urquhart (@rocketgobrrrrr) May 2, 2025

From the ranking member of the House appropriations subcommittee that funds NASA: https://t.co/xO4oDZhT5J

— Jeff Foust (@jeff_foust) May 2, 2025

Trump’s Proposed NASA Budget Could Torch the Agency’s Boldest Missions https://t.co/PYSQey4clL

— Gizmodo (@Gizmodo) May 2, 2025

The Fourth Nova-C Spacecraft Has a Ride to the Moon...

Intuitive Machines

Intuitive Machines Selects SpaceX to Launch its Fourth Lunar Lander Mission and Lunar Data Relay Satellites (Press Release)

Intuitive Machines, Inc. (Nasdaq: LUNR, LUNRW) (“Intuitive Machines”) (“Company”), a leading space exploration, infrastructure and services company, has recently selected SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket to launch its fourth lunar delivery mission (IM-4) from Florida. The IM-4 mission is expected to include the launch of two lunar data relay satellites intended to support NASA’s Near Space Network Services (NSNS) contract.

“Lunar surface delivery and data relay satellites are central to our strategy to commercialize the Moon,” said Intuitive Machines CEO Steve Altemus. “In addition to the contracted NSNS service, the satellites are capable of hosting additional payloads and science sensors to serve commercial industry and other government customers. We plan to deploy the first of five lunar data relay satellites on our third mission, which will introduce our pay-by-the-minute service. The two additional satellites on our fourth mission are intended to scale that service, followed by two additional deployments to complete the constellation and fully support NASA and commercial lunar operations.”

As previously announced, the IM-4 surface delivery mission is currently scheduled for 2027 and is set to carry six NASA Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative payloads, including a European Space Agency-led drill suite designed to search for water at the lunar South Pole.

NASA has awarded Intuitive Machines multiple task orders under the agency’s NSNS contract for communication and navigation services. The awards call for Intuitive Machines to provide Direct-to-Earth (DTE) services and a lunar data relay constellation to support NASA’s Artemis campaign.

Source: Intuitive Machines

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SpaceX

Photos of the Day: Blue Ghost in Mini-Brick Form...

Richard T. Par

Just thought I'd end March by sharing these images of the Blue Ghost mini-brick model that I bought from Firefly Aerospace earlier this month!

As mentioned in this entry from my Human Spaceflight Blog, I planned on ordering the Blue Ghost model online if the actual lander successfully touched down on the Moon over four weeks ago. And successfully touched down Blue Ghost did!

Unlike my LEGO® Artemis 1 rocket and Perseverance Mars rover, as well as my Atom Brick New Glenn rocket, Blue Ghost was relatively quick to build—as it 'only' consisted of 196 pieces. Just like my Artemis 1 rocket and the Percy rover, Blue Ghost is now kept dust-free inside an acrylic case that I bought online.

I initially bought a 4.2"x4.2"x4.2" glass case from a local Michaels store...but Blue Ghost barely fits inside this display. So I went to Amazon and purchased a 5"x5"x5" case, and the mini-brick lander fits perfectly in that one! (The 4.2"x4.2"x4.2" case now holds a LEGO Boba Fett figure and Grogu figurine, which you can see in the very last photo of this entry.)

Astrobotic has a mini-brick version of its Griffin lunar lander, which is scheduled to launch no earlier than this December. Just like with Blue Ghost, I intend on waiting to see the outcome of Griffin Mission One before I decide to buy something to commemorate Astrobotic's next Moon flight. Happy Monday!


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par


Richard T. Par

Photos of the Day: The Last Images Taken by Blue Ghost Before Its Historic Stint on the Lunar Surface Came to an End...

Firefly Aerospace

NASA Science Continues After Firefly’s First Moon Mission Concludes (News Release)

After landing on the Moon with NASA science and technology demonstrations on March 2, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 concluded its mission on March 16. Analysis of data returned to Earth from the NASA instruments continues, benefiting future lunar missions.

As part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander delivered 10 NASA science and technology instruments to the Mare Crisium basin on the near side of the Moon. During the mission, Blue Ghost captured several images and videos, including imaging a total solar eclipse and a sunset from the surface of the Moon. The mission lasted for about 14 days, or the equivalent of one lunar day, and multiple hours into the lunar night before coming to an end.

“Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 marks the longest surface duration commercial mission on the Moon to date, collecting extraordinary science data that will benefit humanity for decades to come,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “With NASA’s CLPS initiative, American companies are now at the forefront of an emerging lunar economy that lights the way for the agency’s exploration goals on the Moon and beyond.”

All 10 NASA payloads successfully activated, collected data and performed operations on the Moon. Throughout the mission, Blue Ghost transmitted 119 gigabytes of data back to Earth, including 51 gigabytes of science and technology data. In addition, all payloads were afforded additional opportunities to conduct science and gather more data for analysis, including during the eclipse and lunar sunset.

“Operating on the Moon is complex; carrying 10 payloads, more than has ever flown on a CLPS delivery before, makes the mission that much more impressive,” said Joel Kearns, deputy associate administrator for exploration, Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters. “Teams are eagerly analyzing their data, and we are extremely excited for the expected scientific findings that will be gained from this mission.”

Among other achievements, many of the NASA instruments performed first-of-their-kind science and technology demonstrations, including:

-- The Lunar Instrumentation for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity is now the deepest robotic planetary subsurface thermal probe, drilling up to 3 feet and providing a first-of-its kind demonstration of robotic thermal measurements at varying depths.

-- The Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment acquired and tracked Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) signals, from satellite networks such as GPS and Galileo, for the first time en route to and on the Moon’s surface. The LuGRE payload’s record-breaking success indicates that GNSS signals could complement other navigation methods and be used to support future Artemis missions. It also acts as a steppingstone to future navigation systems on Mars.

-- The Radiation Tolerant Computer successfully operated in transit through Earth’s Van Allen belts, as well as on the lunar surface into the lunar night, verifying solutions to mitigate radiation effects on computers that could make future missions safer for equipment and more cost effective.

-- The Electrodynamic Dust Shield successfully lifted and removed lunar soil, or regolith, from surfaces using electrodynamic forces, demonstrating a promising solution for dust mitigation on future lunar and interplanetary surface operations.

-- The Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder successfully deployed five sensors to study the Moon’s interior by measuring electric and magnetic fields. The instrument allows scientists to characterize the interior of the Moon to depths of up to 700 miles, or more than half the distance to the Moon’s center.

-- The Lunar Environment heliospheric X-ray Imager captured a series of X-ray images to study the interaction of the solar wind and Earth’s magnetic field, providing insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces surrounding Earth affect the planet.

-- The Next Generation Lunar Retroreflector successfully reflected and returned laser light from two Lunar Laser Ranging Observatories, returning measurements that allowed scientists to precisely measure the Moon’s shape and distance from Earth, expanding our understanding of the Moon’s inner structure.

-- The Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies instrument captured about 9,000 images during the spacecraft’s lunar descent and touchdown on the Moon, providing insights into the effects that engine plumes have on the surface. The payload also operated during the lunar sunset and into the lunar night.

-- The Lunar PlanetVac was deployed on the lander’s surface access arm and successfully collected, transferred and sorted lunar soil using pressurized nitrogen gas, demonstrating a low-cost, low-mass solution for future robotic sample collection.

-- The Regolith Adherence Characterization instrument examined how lunar regolith sticks to a range of materials exposed to the Moon’s environment, which can help test, improve and protect spacecraft, spacesuits and habitats from abrasive lunar dust or regolith.

The data captured will benefit humanity in many ways, providing insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces may impact Earth. Establishing an improved awareness of the lunar environment ahead of future crewed missions will help plan for long-duration surface operations under Artemis.

To date, five vendors have been awarded 11 lunar deliveries under CLPS and are sending more than 50 instruments to various locations on the Moon, including the lunar South Pole and far side.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Firefly Aerospace


Firefly Aerospace


Firefly Aerospace

Witness the sunset from the Moon - our final gift from #BlueGhost Mission 1! We’re honored to share these breathtaking views of the lunar horizon glow with the world as our mission concludes. The @NASA team is excited to analyze these images further and share more of the… pic.twitter.com/sltowc2ePO

— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) March 18, 2025

Photos of the Day: Orbital Images of Blue Ghost on the Moon!

NASA / GSFC / Arizona State University

Just thought I'd share these images that NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter recently took of Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost lander on the Moon's surface!

Blue Ghost successfully touched down near the Mons Latreille region at Mare Crisium on March 2...and continues to hum along as it carries out 10 science experiments for NASA under its Artemis and Commercial Lunar Payload Services programs.

Assuming that everything continues to proceed as planned, Blue Ghost Mission 1 will last till Sunday, March 16.


NASA / GSFC / Arizona State University


NASA / GSFC / Arizona State University

#BlueGhost X-band antenna has deployed! This will allow us to more rapidly downlink high-definition imagery and videos and transmit payload science data back to Earth. Stay tuned for more! #BGM1 pic.twitter.com/Vi8fumKI4X

— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) March 2, 2025

#BlueGhost has been busy since parking on the Moon! Just in the last two days, the data we've downlinked jumped from 27 GB to 57 GB as we continue @NASA payload operations. This includes deploying Lunar PlanetVac and sampling lunar regolith, deploying the Electrodynamic Dust… pic.twitter.com/b2kcnCRttz

— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) March 4, 2025

The Latest Update on Blue Ghost...

NASA / Dave Ryan

NASA Successfully Acquires GPS Signals on Moon (News Release)

NASA and the Italian Space Agency made history on March 3, when the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) became the first technology demonstration to acquire and track Earth-based navigation signals on the Moon’s surface.

The LuGRE payload’s success in lunar orbit and on the surface indicates that signals from the GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) can be received and tracked at the Moon. These results mean that NASA’s Artemis missions, or other exploration missions, could benefit from these signals to accurately and autonomously determine their position, velocity and time. This represents a steppingstone to advanced navigation systems and services for the Moon and Mars.

“On Earth we can use GNSS signals to navigate in everything from smartphones to airplanes,” said Kevin Coggins, deputy associate administrator for NASA’s SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation) Program. “Now, LuGRE shows us that we can successfully acquire and track GNSS signals at the Moon. This is a very exciting discovery for lunar navigation, and we hope to leverage this capability for future missions.”

The road to the historic milestone began on March 2 when Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lunar lander touched down on the Moon and delivered LuGRE, one of 10 NASA payloads intended to advance lunar science. Soon after landing, LuGRE payload operators at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, began conducting their first science operation on the lunar surface.

With the receiver data flowing in, anticipation mounted. Could a Moon-based mission acquire and track signals from two GNSS constellations, GPS and Galileo, and use those signals for navigation on the lunar surface?

Then, at 2 a.m. EST on March 3, it was official: LuGRE acquired and tracked signals on the lunar surface for the first time ever and achieved a navigation fix — approximately 225,000 miles away from Earth.

Now that Blue Ghost is on the Moon, the mission will operate for 14 days providing NASA and the Italian Space Agency the opportunity to collect data in a near-continuous mode, leading to additional GNSS milestones. In addition to this record-setting achievement, LuGRE is the first Italian Space Agency-developed hardware on the Moon, a milestone for the organization.

The LuGRE payload also broke GNSS records on its journey to the Moon. On January 21, LuGRE surpassed the highest altitude GNSS signal acquisition ever recorded at 209,900 miles from Earth, a record formerly held by NASA’s Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission. Its altitude record continued to climb as LuGRE reached lunar orbit on February 20 — 243,000 miles from Earth.

These achievements mean that missions in cislunar space, the area of space between Earth and the Moon, could also rely on GNSS signals for navigation fixes.

Traditionally, NASA engineers track spacecraft by using a combination of measurements, including onboard sensors and signals from Earth-based tracking stations. The LuGRE payload demonstrates that using GNSS signals for navigation can reduce reliance on human operators because these signals can be picked up and used autonomously by the spacecraft, even as far away as the Moon.

The LuGRE payload is a collaborative effort between NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland and the Italian Space Agency. Funding and oversight for the LuGRE payload comes from NASA’s SCaN Program office. It was chosen by NASA as one of 10 funded research and technology demonstrations for delivery to the lunar surface by Firefly Aerospace Inc., a flight under the agency’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services initiative.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Firefly Aerospace


Firefly Aerospace

Watch Firefly land on the Moon! After identifying surface hazards and selecting a safe landing site, #BlueGhost landed directly over the target in Mare Crisium. A historic moment on March 2 we'll never forget. We have Moon dust on our boots! #BGM1 pic.twitter.com/02DQJzn0hL

— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) March 4, 2025

Athena and the MAPP Rover Are Now Headed to the Moon!

SpaceX

Liftoff! NASA Tech, Science En Route to Moon with Intuitive Machines (News Release)

The next set of NASA science and technology demonstrations is on its way to the lunar surface, where they will gather data about Earth’s nearest neighbor and help pave the way for American astronauts to explore the Moon and beyond, for the benefit of all.

Carrying NASA instruments as part of the agency’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, Intuitive Machines’ IM-2 mission launched at 7:16 p.m. EST, February 26, aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at the agency’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. Intuitive Machines’ lunar lander is scheduled to touch down on Thursday, March 6, in Mons Mouton, a plateau at the Moon’s South Pole.

“With each CLPS mission, the United States is leading the way in expanding our reach and refining our capabilities, turning what was once dreams into reality,” said NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro. “These science and technology demonstrations are more than payloads – they represent the foundation for future explorers who will live and work on the Moon. By partnering with American industry, we are driving innovation, strengthening our leadership in space, and preparing for sending humans farther into the Solar System, including Mars.”

Once on the Moon, the NASA CLPS investigations will aim to measure the potential presence of volatiles or gases from lunar soil – one of the first on-site demonstrations of resource use on the Moon. In addition, a passive Laser Retroreflector Array on the top deck of the lander will bounce laser light back at any future orbiting or incoming spacecraft to give them a permanent reference point on the lunar surface. Other technology instruments on this delivery will demonstrate a robust surface communications system and deploy a propulsive drone designed to hop across the lunar surface.

NASA’s Lunar Trailblazer spacecraft, which launched as a rideshare with the IM-2 mission, also began its journey to lunar orbit, where it will map the distribution of the different forms of water on the Moon. Lunar Trailblazer will discover where the Moon’s water is, what form it is in, and how it changes over time. Observations gathered during its two-year prime mission will contribute to the understanding of water cycles on airless bodies throughout the Solar System while also supporting future human and robotic missions to the Moon by identifying where water is located.

NASA’s Artemis campaign includes conducting more science to better understand planetary processes and evolution, to search for evidence of water and other resources, and support long-term, sustainable human exploration.

The NASA science and technology instruments that launched aboard the IM-2 mission are:

-- Polar Resources Ice Mining Experiment-1 (PRIME-1): This experiment will explore the Moon’s subsurface and analyze where lunar resources may reside. The experiment’s two key instruments will demonstrate the ability to extract and analyze lunar soil to detect volatile chemical compounds that turn into gas. The two instruments will work in tandem: The Regolith and Ice Drill for Exploring New Terrains will drill into the Moon’s surface to collect samples, while the Mass Spectrometer Observing Lunar Operations will analyze these samples to determine the gas composition released across the sampling depth.

The PRIME-1 technology will provide valuable data to better understand the Moon’s surface and how to work with and on it.

-- Laser Retroreflector Array (LRA): This collection of eight retroreflectors will enable precision laser ranging, which is a measurement of the distance between the orbiting or landing spacecraft to the reflector on the lander. The LRA is a passive optical instrument and will function as a permanent location marker on the Moon for decades to come.

-- Micro Nova Hopper: Funded by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate Tipping Point initiative, Intuitive Machines’ Micro Nova hopper, Grace, is designed to enable high-resolution surveying of the lunar surface under its flight path. This autonomous propulsive drone aims to deploy to the surface and hop into a nearby crater to survey the lunar surface and send science data back to the lander. It’s designed to hop in and out of a permanently shadowed region, providing a first look into undiscovered regions that may provide critical information to sustain a human presence on the Moon.

-- Nokia Lunar Surface Communications System (LSCS): Also developed with funding from NASA’s Tipping Point initiative, Nokia’s LSCS 4G/LTE communications system will demonstrate cellular communications between the Intuitive Machines lander, Lunar Outpost's MAPP rover, and the Micro Nova hopper. Engineered to transmit high-definition video, command-and-control messages, and sensor and telemetry data, the LSCS aims to demonstrate an ultra-compact advanced communication solution for future infrastructure on the Moon and beyond.

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Lunar Outpost


Intuitive Machines


Intuitive Machines

Firefly Looks Ahead to the March 2 Lunar Touchdown of its Robotic Lander...

Firefly Aerospace

Blue Ghost Prepares for Landing, NASA Instrument Breaks Record (News Release)

Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 is nearly one week away from its Moon landing on Sunday, March 2, after launching on January 15. In preparation for landing, Blue Ghost will complete its final lunar orbit maneuver scheduled for Monday, February 24. This maneuver will insert Blue Ghost into a near-circular low lunar orbit, bringing the lander closer to the lunar surface.

Then about one hour before touchdown, Blue Ghost will complete its Descent Orbit Insertion burn, which will initiate the lander’s descent trajectory towards its landing site, Mare Crisium, on the near side of the Moon.

Live coverage of the landing, jointly hosted by NASA and Firefly, will air on NASA+ starting at 2:30 a.m. EST, approximately 75 minutes before Blue Ghost touches down on the Moon’s surface. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media. The broadcast will also stream on Firefly’s YouTube channel.

Coverage will include live streaming and blog updates as the descent milestones occur.

All 10 NASA instruments on this flight are currently healthy and ready to operate on the lunar surface. The payloads that are able to power on and operate have also collected some noteworthy data during lunar transit. Two highlights include:

The Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) acquired and tracked Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals for the first time in lunar orbit – a new record! This achievement, peaking at 246,000 miles, suggests that Earth-based GNSS constellations can be used for navigation in transit to, around, and potentially on the Moon. It also demonstrates the power of using multiple GNSS constellations together, such as GPS and Galileo, to perform navigation.

After lunar landing, LuGRE will operate for 14 days and attempt to break another record – first reception of GNSS signals on the lunar surface.

The Lunar Environment Heliospheric X-ray Imager, or LEXI, telescope was successfully turned on shortly after launch on January 15. The instrument has operated for several hours every day conducting checkouts and initial commissioning, operating for a total of more than 50 hours so far in preparation for collecting images from the lunar surface.

Follow along on NASA’s Artemis Blog as Blue Ghost Mission 1 continues its journey to the Moon. Additional mission updates can also be found on Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 page.

Source: NASA.Gov

Looking Ahead to Blue Ghost's Big Day on March 2...

Firefly Aerospace

NASA Sets Coverage of Firefly’s First Robotic Commercial Moon Landing (News Release - February 14)

With a suite of NASA science and technology on board, Firefly Aerospace is targeting no earlier than 3:45 a.m. EST on Sunday, March 2, to land the Blue Ghost lunar lander on the Moon. Blue Ghost is slated to touch down near Mare Crisium, a plain in the northeast quadrant on the near side of the Moon, as part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign to establish a long-term lunar presence.

Live coverage of the landing, jointly hosted by NASA and Firefly, will air on NASA+ starting at 2:30 a.m. EST, approximately 75 minutes before touchdown on the Moon’s surface. Learn how to watch NASA content through a variety of platforms, including social media. The broadcast will also stream on Firefly’s YouTube channel.

Landing coverage will include live streaming and blog updates as the descent milestones occur.

Accredited media interested in attending the in-person landing event hosted by Firefly in the Austin, Texas, area may request media credentials through this form by Monday, February 24.

Following the landing, NASA and Firefly will host a news conference to discuss the mission and science opportunities that lie ahead as they begin lunar surface operations. The time of the briefing will be shared after touchdown.

Blue Ghost launched January 15, at 1:11 a.m. EST on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket from Launch Complex 39A at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida. The lander is carrying a suite of 10 NASA scientific investigations and technology demonstrations, which will provide insights into the Moon’s environment and test technologies to support future astronauts landing safely on the lunar surface, as well as Mars.

NASA continues to work with multiple American companies to deliver science and technology to the lunar surface through the agency’s CLPS initiative. This pool of companies may bid on contracts for end-to-end lunar delivery services, including payload integration and operations, launching from Earth, and landing on the surface of the Moon. NASA’s CLPS contracts are indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contracts with a cumulative maximum value of $2.6 billion through 2028.

In February 2021, the agency awarded Firefly this delivery of 10 NASA science investigations and technology demonstrations to the Moon using its American-designed and -manufactured lunar lander for approximately $93.3 million (modified to $101.5 million).

Through the Artemis campaign, commercial robotic deliveries will perform science experiments, test technologies, and demonstrate capabilities on and around the Moon to help NASA explore in advance of Artemis Generation astronaut missions to the lunar surface, and ultimately crewed missions to Mars.

Source: NASA.Gov

Firefly's Robotic Lander Has Arrived at the Moon!

Firefly Aerospace

Blue Ghost Remains on Track, Lunar Orbit Insertion Burn Complete (News Release)

After about a month in transit to the Moon, Firefly’s Blue Ghost lunar lander successfully completed a four-minute lunar orbit insertion burn on Thursday – the longest and most challenging burn conducted to date by the lander’s main engine and reaction control system thrusters.

Now that the lander is in lunar trajectory, over the next 16 days, additional maneuvers will take the lander from an elliptical orbit to a circular orbit around the Moon. Blue Ghost Mission 1 is targeted to land on Sunday, March 2, at 3:45 a.m. EST. During the lunar orbit insertion burn, Blue Ghost captured a picture of the Moon’s South Pole (below).

NASA instrument and Firefly mission updates will continue to be shared here on NASA’s Artemis Blog and Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 page.

Source: NASA.Gov

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Firefly Aerospace

I love you to the Moon, but not back - I'm staying there," 💙 Blue Ghost. We captured our first shots of the Moon following a successful Lunar Orbit Insertion. The lander will soon begin to circularize its orbit in preparation for landing on March 2. #BGM1 pic.twitter.com/2FclZ1hnvb

— Firefly Aerospace (@Firefly_Space) February 14, 2025