SpaceX and Firefly team up to launch Firefly Blue Ghost with 10 NASA payloads


Firefly Aerospace’s inaugural lunar mission is ready for takeoff, as the Blue Ghost lander is scheduled to launch on a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket in mid-January. According to reports, the mission, named Ghost Riders in the Sky, will also carry Japan’s Resilience lander and marks a significant collaboration under NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) program. According to reports, the Blue Ghost lander arrived at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center on December 16 for integration with the rocket, where preparations are underway to complete the six-day launch window.

NASA payloads to advance lunar science

Reports indicate that 10 NASA payloads will be included, aimed at increasing understanding of the Moon’s surface and its interactions with Earth’s magnetic fields. Notable instruments include the Next Generation Lunar Retroreflector (NGLR), which will help accurately measure the distance between the Earth and the Moon. Other major payloads include the Regolith Adherence Characterization (RAC), designed to study the effects of lunar dust, and the Lunar Environment Heliospheric X-ray Imager (LEXI), which will monitor solar wind activity.

Technology demonstrations highlights

Several experimental technologies will also be tested during the mission, such as the Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS), which repels lunar dust using electric fields, and the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LUGRE), which evaluates navigation systems in the lunar environment. Does. The Radiation Tolerant Computer System (RadPC) will demonstrate resiliency against ionizing radiation, important for future long-term lunar missions.

Mission Timeline and Key Goals

The entire mission is expected to last 60 Earth days. After a 25-day Earth orbit phase, Blue Ghost will perform a translunar injection, followed by a four-day trip to the Moon. The lander will spend two weeks on the lunar surface collecting important scientific data. In the meantime, observations of a solar eclipse and a phenomenon called “horizon glow” have been anticipated, Firefly CEO Jason Kim said during a briefing.

According to reports, these efforts are expected to inform future Artemis program missions, establishing a sustained human presence on the Moon.



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