The mission sent 119 GB of data and collected numerous samples, providing scientists with essential information to advance lunar research.

What is Blue Ghost?

Firefly’s Blue Ghost is a lunar lander that delivers customized payloads for technology and exploration. The first mission, known as ‘Ghost Riders in the Sky’, carried 10 NASA payloads, all of which were successfully executed. It launched on January 15, 2025, spent 25 days in Earth’s orbit, and then entered the Moon’s orbit. After 16 days in orbit, the lander reached the surface on March 2, 2025. Firefly is expected to launch Blue Ghost missions on an annual basis.

◆ Why Blue Ghost?

Firefly named its lunar lander after a rare firefly. The Blue Ghost firefly is native to the Appalachian regions of North Carolina. This rare firefly only appears for two to four weeks in late spring, and unlike other fireflies, it produces a blue-white glow that can last up to a minute. Like its namesake, the Blue Ghost lander is one of a kind.

◆ What Was its Mission?

During its 14 days on the lunar surface, the lander operated during 346 hours of daylight and just over five hours of lunar night, sending its last transmission on March 16. In that period, the lander completed the following payload milestones:

• Blue Ghost acquired and tracked Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals, suggesting that GPS signals can be used to navigate future space missions.
• Blue Ghost’s gimbal antenna reflected laser pulses from Earth-based observatories, allowing scientists to precisely measure the Moon’s shape and distance from Earth.
• Blue Ghost’s Lunar Environment Heliospheric X-ray Imager (LEXI) captured a series of X-ray images of solar wind and Earth’s magnetic field activity to better understand the impact of space weather on Earth.
• The lander deployed four tethered electrodes on the surface, reaching a distance of up to 60 feet from the lander, as well as a six-foot mast to measure electric and magnetic fields to learn more about the Moon’s composition.
• Equipped with special cameras, the lander captured images during its descent and landing, showing how engine plumes impacted the surface.
• The Lunar Instrumentation for Subsurface Thermal Exploration with Rapidity (LISTER) is a pneumatic, gas-powered drill capable of reaching three feet into the Moon’s surface to measure temperature and heat flow.
• During its journey to the Moon, the Blue Ghost demonstrated that a specially designed computer can withstand space radiation.
• The mission also included payloads to study lunar regolith, the loose rock, dust, and debris that rest on a layer of bedrock. Regolith attaches to surfaces and appears in collected samples. Pressurized nitrogen gas was used to separate regolith from samples, making it a low-cost, low-mass solution for future sample collection.