Blue Ghost Mission 1 Carries Science, Tech Demonstrations

NASA launched a suite of science and technology demonstrations to the Moon aboard Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Lunar Lander to study and provide insight into the Moon’s environment and to test technologies that will potentially support future astronauts landing there under the agency’s Artemis campaign.

The mission, known as Blue Ghost Mission 1, launched at 01:11 a.m. EST from Complex 39A at Kennedy Space Center in Florida aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket as Firefly’s first Commercial Lunar Payload Services flight.

Pam Melroy, NASA Deputy Administrator, said, “This mission embodies the bold spirit of NASA’s Artemis campaign – a campaign driven by scientific exploration and discovery. Each flight we’re part of is vital step in the larger blueprint to establish a responsible, sustained human presence at the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Each scientific instrument and technology demonstration brings us closer to realizing our vision. Congratulations to the NASA, Firefly, and SpaceX teams on this successful launch.”

On the Moon, NASA will test and demonstrate lunar drilling technology, regolith sample collection techniques, global navigation satellite system capabilities, radiation tolerant computing, and lunar dust mitigation methods. Data obtained might benefit humans on Earth by providing information on how space weather and other cosmic forces impact our planet.

Nicola Fox, Associate Administrator, Science Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters in Washington said, “NASA leads the world in space exploration, and American companies are a critical part of bringing humanity back to the Moon.

“We learned many lessons during the Apollo Era which informed the technological and science demonstrations aboard Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 – ensuring the safety and health of our future science instruments, spacecraft, and, most importantly, our astronauts on the lunar surface. I am excited to see the incredible science and technological data Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 will deliver in the days to come.”

FMI:  www.nasa.gov/