Produced by: Mohsin Shaikh
Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost lander is set for a March 2 touchdown on the Moon’s Mare Crisium region, carrying NASA’s science payload.
As it maneuvered for landing, Blue Ghost captured breathtaking footage of the Moon’s far side rolling below, taken from 100 km above the surface.
Landing is extremely difficult—with no atmosphere for braking, descent must be controlled entirely by thrusters, with no room for error.
Credit: Fleet Space Technologies
Blue Ghost carries 10 instruments for NASA, gathering crucial data to study the Moon’s terrain, radiation, and habitability for future missions.
The lander will operate for one lunar day (14 Earth days), capturing a solar eclipse and a lunar sunset before shutting down forever.
If successful, Blue Ghost will work for a few extra hours into lunar night, but extreme cold of -246°C will freeze it permanently.
This is the first of three NASA missions—the next in 2026 will land on the Moon’s far side, and in 2028, a rover will explore Gruithuisen Domes.
Credit: NASA
These missions will help NASA assess long-term lunar habitability, laying groundwork for a permanent Moon base in the future.
The landing attempt is being live-streamed, so space fans in India can watch the historic event unfold on March 2 via Firefly Aerospace’s mission blog.