Touchdown! Carrying NASA Science, Firefly’s Blue Ghost Lands on Moon

Carrying a suite of NASA science and technology, Firefly Aerospace’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 successfully landed at 3:34 a.m. EST on Sunday near a volcanic feature called Mons Latreille within Mare Crisium, a more than 300-mile-wide basin located in the northeast quadrant of the Moon’s near side.

The Blue Ghost lander is in an upright and stable configuration, and the successful Moon delivery is part of NASA’s CLPS (Commercial Lunar Payload Services) initiative and Artemis campaign. This is the first CLPS delivery for Firefly, and their first Moon landing.  

The 10 NASA science and technology instruments aboard the lander will operate on the lunar surface for approximately one lunar day, or about 14 Earth days.

“This incredible achievement demonstrates how NASA and American companies are leading the way in space exploration for the benefit of all,” said NASA acting Administrator Janet Petro. “We have already learned many lessons – and the technological and science demonstrations onboard Firefly’s Blue Ghost Mission 1 will improve our ability to not only discover more science, but to ensure the safety of our spacecraft instruments for future human exploration – both in the short term and long term.”

Since launching from NASA’s Kennedy Space Center in Florida on Jan. 15, Blue Ghost traveled more than 2.8 million miles, downlinked more than 27 GB of data, and supported several science operations. This included signal tracking from the Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) at a record-breaking distance of 246,000 miles with the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment payload – showing NASA can use the same positioning systems on Earth when at the Moon. Science conducted during the journey also included radiation tolerant computing through the Van Allen Belts with the Radiation-Tolerant Computer System payload and measurements of magnetic field changes in space with the Lunar Magnetotelluric Sounder payload.

“The science and technology we send to the Moon now helps prepare the way for future NASA exploration and long-term human presence to inspire the world for generations to come,” said Nicky Fox, associate administrator for science at NASA Headquarters in Washington. “We’re sending these payloads by working with American companies – which supports a growing lunar economy.”

During surface operations, the NASA instruments will test and demonstrate lunar subsurface drilling technology, regolith sample collection capabilities, global navigation satellite system abilities, radiation tolerant computing, and lunar dust mitigation methods. The data captured will benefit humanity by providing insights into how space weather and other cosmic forces impact Earth.  

Before payload operations conclude, teams will aim to capture imagery of the lunar sunset and how lunar dust reacts to solar influences during lunar dusk conditions, a phenomenon first documented by former NASA astronaut Eugene Cernan on Apollo 17. Following the lunar sunset, the lander will operate for several hours into the lunar night.

“On behalf of our entire team, I want to thank NASA for entrusting Firefly as their lunar delivery provider,” said Jason Kim, CEO of Firefly Aerospace. “Blue Ghost’s successful Moon landing has laid the groundwork for the future of commercial exploration across cislunar space. We’re now looking forward to more than 14 days of surface operations to unlock even more science data that will have a substantial impact on future missions to the Moon and Mars.”

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. Existing CLPS contracts are indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts with a cumulative maximum contract value of $2.6 billion through 2028. 

Learn more about NASA’s CLPS initiative at:

https://www.nasa.gov/clps

-end-

Amber Jacobson / Karen Fox 
Headquarters, Washington
202-358-1600
amber.c.jacobson@nasa.gov / karen.c.fox@nasa.gov 

Natalia Riusech / Nilufar Ramji
Johnson Space Center, Houston
281-483-5111
nataila.s.riusech@nasa.gov / nilufar.ramji@nasa.gov

Antonia Jaramillo
Kennedy Space Center, Florida
321-501-8425
antonia.jaramillobotero@nasa.gov

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Tiernan P. Doyle

Smooshing for Science: A Flat-Out Success

Written by Henry Manelski, Ph.D. student at Purdue University

The Perseverance team is always looking for creative ways to use the tools we have on Mars to maximize the science we do. On the arm of the rover sits the SHERLOC instrument, which specializes in detecting organic compounds and is crucial in our search for signs of past microbial life. But finding these organics isn’t easy. The uppermost surface of most rocks Perseverance finds on Mars have been exposed to ultraviolet rays from the sun and the long-term oxidative potential of the atmosphere, both of which have the potential to break down organic compounds. For this reason, obtaining SHERLOC measurements from a “fresh” rock face is ideal. Last week the rover cored a serpentine-rich rock aptly named “Green Gardens,” resulting in a fresh pile of drill tailings. To get this material ready for the SHERLOC instrument, which requires a smooth area to obtain a measurement, the science team did something for the first time on Mars: We smooshed it!

Using the contact sensor of our sampling system, designed to indicate when our drill is touching a rock as it prepares to take a core, Perseverance pressed down into the tailings pile, compacting it into a flat, stable patch for SHERLOC to investigate. This unorthodox approach worked perfectly! The resulting SHERLOC spectral scan of these fresh tailings — which include serpentine, a mineral of key astrobiological interest — was a success. These flattened drill tailings are a great example of how a bit of out-of-the-box (or out-of-this-world!) thinking helps us maximize science on Mars. With this success behind us, the rover is rolling west toward the heart of “Witch Hazel Hill,” where more ancient rocks — and who knows what surprises — await!

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NASA Uses New Technology to Understand California Wildfires

The January wildfires in California devastated local habitats and communities. In an effort to better understand wildfire behavior, NASA scientists and engineers tried to learn from the events by testing new technology.

The new instrument, the Compact Fire Infrared Radiance Spectral Tracker (c-FIRST), was tested when NASA’s B200 King Air aircraft flew over the wildfires in the Pacific Palisades and Altadena, California. Based at NASA’s Armstrong Flight Research Center in Edwards, California, the aircraft used the c-FIRST instrument to observe the impacts of the fires in near real-time. Due to its small size and ability to efficiently simulate a satellite-based mission, the B200 King Air is uniquely suited for testing c-FIRST.

Managed and operated by NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Southern California, c-FIRST gathers thermal infrared images in high-resolution and other data about the terrain to study the impacts of wildfires on ecology. In a single observation, c-FIRST can capture the full temperature range across a wide area of wildland fires – as well as the cool, unburned background – potentially increasing both the quantity and quality of science data produced.

“Currently, no instrument is able to cover the entire range of attributes for fires present in the Earth system,” said Sarath Gunapala, principal investigator for c-FIRST at NASA JPL. “This leads to gaps in our understanding of how many fires occur, and of crucial characteristics like size and temperature.”

For decades, the quality of infrared images has struggled to convey the nuances of high-temperature surfaces above 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit (550 degrees Celsius). Blurry resolution and light saturation of infrared images has inhibited scientists’ understanding of an extremely hot terrain, and thereby also inhibited wildfire research. Historically, images of extremely hot targets often lacked the detail scientists need to understand the range of a fire’s impacts on an ecosystem.

To address this, NASA’s Earth Science Technology Office supported JPL’s development of the c-FIRST instrument, combining state-of-the-art imaging technology with a compact and efficient design. When c-FIRST was airborne, scientists could detect smoldering fires more accurately and quickly, while also gathering important information on active fires in near real-time.

“These smoldering fires can flame up if the wind picks up again,” said Gunapala. “Therefore, the c-FIRST data set could provide very important information for firefighting agencies to fight fires more effectively.”

For instance, c-FIRST data can help scientists estimate the likelihood of a fire spreading in a certain landscape, allowing officials to more effectively monitor smoldering fires and track how fires evolve. Furthermore, c-FIRST can collect detailed data that can enable scientists to understand how an ecosystem may recover from fire events.

“The requirements of the c-FIRST instrument meet the flight profile of the King Air,” said KC Sujan, operations engineer for the B200 King Air. “The c-FIRST team wanted a quick integration, the flight speed in the range 130 and 140 knots on a level flight, communication and navigation systems, and the instruments power requirement that are perfectly fit for King Air’s capability.”

By first testing the instrument onboard the B200 King Air, the c-FIRST team can evaluate its readiness for future satellite missions investigating wildfires. On a changing planet where wildfires are increasingly common, instruments like c-FIRST could provide data that can aid firefighting agencies to fight fires more effectively, and to understand the ecosystemic impacts of extreme weather events.

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What’s Up: March 2025 Skywatching Tips from NASA

A Fast-Moving Planet and a Crimson Moon!

Catch Mercury if you can, then stay up late for a total lunar eclipse, and learn the truth about the dark side of the Moon.

Skywatching Highlights

All Month – Planets Visibility:

• Mercury: Speedy Mercury is visible beneath Venus for the first week and a half of March, for about 30 minutes each evening, as sunset fades. 
• Venus: Venus hangs low in the west after sunset early in the month, but quickly drops lower as the days pass. After mid-March, it’s difficult to observe in the glow of fading sunlight.
• Mars: Find Mars high in the east following sunset, then setting around 3 a.m.
• Jupiter: Visible high in the west after dark, and setting about 1 a.m.

Daily Highlights:

March 7-9 – Catch Mercury: Look for Mercury beginning about 30 minutes after sunset in the west, about 10 degrees above the horizon. 

March 13-14 – Total Lunar Eclipse: The Moon becomes a crimson orb over a couple of hours on March 13th and into the 14th, depending on your time zone.

March 14 – Full moon

March 29 – New moon: This is when the dark side of the Moon faces toward Earth. The new moon appears close to the Sun in the sky, so it’s essentially invisible from the surface (except during solar eclipses).

Transcript

What’s Up for March? A good time to catch Mercury, an eclipse approaches, and the dark side of the Moon.

March Planet Viewing

March begins with Venus still hanging out low in the west after sunset, but it quickly drops out of the sky – by mid-month it’s getting lost in the glare of sunset. Once it gets dark, you’ll find Jupiter and Mars high overhead, keeping you company through the evening. Mars sets a couple of hours after midnight this month, leaving the morning sky “planet free” for the first time in a year. 

March also has the best opportunity this year for trying to spot fast-moving Mercury if you’re in the Northern Hemisphere. It’s only visible for a few weeks at a time every 3 to 4 months. This is because the speedy planet orbits the Sun in just 88 days, so it quickly shifts its position in the sky from day to day. It’s always visible either just after sunset or just before sunrise. On March 7th through 9th, look for Mercury beginning about 30 minutes after sunset in the west, about 10 degrees above the horizon. 

You’ll want to ensure your view isn’t blocked by trees, buildings, or other obstructions. Observing from a large, open field, or the shore of a lake or the seaside can be helpful. Spying Mercury isn’t always easy, but catching the fleet-footed planet is a worthy goal for any skywatcher.

Total Lunar Eclipse

There’s a total lunar eclipse on the way this month, visible across the Americas. Lunar eclipses can be viewed from anywhere the Moon is above the horizon at the time. The show unfolds overnight on March 13th and into the 14th, depending on your time zone. Check the schedule for your area for precise timing.

Now, during a total lunar eclipse, we watch as the Moon passes through Earth’s shadow. It first appears to have a bite taken out of one side, but as maximum eclipse nears, the Moon transforms into a deep crimson orb. That red color comes from the ring of all the sunsets and sunrises you’d see encircling our planet if you were an astronaut on the lunar surface right then. Afterward, the eclipse plays out in reverse, with the red color fading, and the dark bite shrinking, until the Moon looks like its usual self again. 

And here’s an interesting pattern: eclipses always arrive in pairs. A couple weeks before or after a total lunar eclipse, there’s always a solar eclipse. This time, it’s a partial solar eclipse that will be visible across Eastern Canada, Greenland, and Northern Europe.

The Dark Side of the Moon

The Moon has a dark side, but it may not be what you think. As it orbits around Earth each month, the Moon is also rotating (or spinning). So, while we always see the same face of the Moon, sunlight sweeps across the lunar surface every month as it rotates. 

This means there’s no permanently “dark” side. The Moon’s dark side faces Earth when the Moon passes between our planet and the Sun each month. This is the moment when the Moon is said to be “new,” as in a fresh start for its changing phases.

The new moon is also located quite close the Sun in the sky, making it more or less invisible, unless there’s a solar eclipse.

Nights around the new moon phase provide excellent opportunities for observing the sky – especially if you’re using a telescope or doing astrophotography. Without moonlight washing out the sky, you can better see faint stars, nebulas, the Milky Way, and distant galaxies. So next time someone mentions the “dark side of the Moon,” you’ll know there’s more to the story – and you might even discover some deep-sky treasures while the Moon takes its monthly break.

Above are the phases of the Moon for March. Stay up to date on all of NASA’s missions exploring the solar system and beyond at NASA Science. I’m Preston Dyches from NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, and that’s What’s Up for this month.

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Langley Laboratory Apprentice at Work

An apprentice at Langley Laboratory (now NASA’s Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia) inspects wind tunnel components in this image from May 15, 1943. During World War II, the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA), the precursor to NASA, employed apprentices (which NASA has since transitioned into internships) to support meaningful jobs in data computing, testing, and mechanical work.

Make your own mark on NASA history. Apply to the agency’s summer internships by 11:59 p.m. EST Feb. 28.

Image credit: NASA

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Monika Luabeya