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After delivering ten NASA science and technology payloads to the near side of the Moon through NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 lander captured this image of a sunset from the lunar surface. Credit: Firefly Aerospace
The exploration of the Moon began during the Cold War with the Soviet Union's Luna 2 reaching the Moon in 1959, followed by America's Apollo program landing 12 astronauts between 1969-1972. There then followed a lull in before interest was revived in the 1990’s from Japan, Europe, China, and India. Missions like China's Chang'e missions, including the first far-side landing in 2019, India's Chandrayaan program, and NASA's Artemis initiative involving commercial partners are just some of those that have kick started lunar exploration again.
Buzz Aldrin's footpring on the surface of the Moon (Credit : NASA)
Firefly Aerospace's Blue Ghost Mission 1 marked a key achievement in lunar exploration. Deployed in 2025 as part of NASA's Commercial Lunar Payload Services program, the lander successfully touched down in the Mare Crisium basin. During its short two-week operational window, Blue Ghost delivered and operated a number of scientific instruments, gathering crucial data about lunar geology and radiation before the end of its mission.
Artist impression of Blue Ghost on the surface of the Moon (Credit : NASA)
It took advantage of of some wonderful landscapes too while it was on the surface of the Moon and captured remarkable imagery including a total solar eclipse and a lunar sunset. NASA’s Nicky Fox praised the achievement as "the longest surface duration commercial mission on the Moon to date.” The scientific data collected by Blue Ghost will benefit lunar research for decades especially in light of the growing lunar economy and plans to establish a permanent presence on the Moon.
Blue Ghost successfully operated all 10 NASA payloads on the lunar surface, among them; a probe that drilled 3 feet into the lunar surface, a receiver that acquired and tracked GPS satellites while enroute to the Moon and from its surface, a radiation tolerant computing, and an electrostatic dust shield. The mission also studied the Moon's interior, captured solar wind interactions, measured precise Earth-Moon distances, documented landing effects, collected soil samples and tested material-dust interactions.
It transmitted an impressive 119 gigabytes of data back to Earth, including 51 gigabytes of scientific and technological information. NASA's Joel Kearns noted the unprecedented complexity of managing this many payloads—more than any previous CLPS mission—while emphasising the scientific community's excitement over so much data which is expected to bring significant discoveries.
“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” - Joel Kearns NASA
Perhaps one of the most eye-catching outcomes of the mission was the capture of sunset from the surface of the Moon. Blue Ghost can do many things but it cannot survive the cold lunar night and so, having witnessed the sunset and having operated for a short period into the lunar night, Blue Ghost went to sleep, unlikely to see the lunar landscape again.
Source : NASA Science Continues After Firefly’s First Moon Mission Concludes
Mark Thompson
Science broadcaster and author. Mark is known for his tireless enthusiasm for making science accessible, through numerous tv, radio, podcast and theatre appearances, and books. He was a part of the aware-nominated BBC Stargazing LIVE TV Show in the UK and his Spectacular Science theatre show has received 5 star reviews across UK theatres. In 2025 he is launching his new pocast Cosmic Commerce and is working on a new book 101 Facts You Didn't Know About Deep Space In 2018, Mark received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of East Anglia.
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