The Moon is set to become a hub of activity this year, with three of robotic spacecraft on their way to attempt landings on its surface. The first of these, Firefly Aerospace‘s Blue Ghost lunar lander, is scheduled to make history by landing on the Moon on Sunday, March 2, 2025. This mission marks a significant step in lunar exploration and is part of NASA‘s broader Artemis program, which aims to establish a sustained human presence on the Moon.
The Blue Ghost mission: Objectives and payloads
The Blue Ghost is headed for Mare Crisium, a vast lunar plain located on the near side of the Moon. This region was formed by lava filling a massive crater created by an ancient asteroid impact, making it an ideal site for scientific research. The lander carries a diverse range of scientific and technological payloads, including ten for NASA. These payloads are designed to investigate various aspects of the lunar surface and space environment, such as heat flow from the Moon’s interior, plume-surface interactions, and the Moon’s magnetic and electric fields.
Among the notable payloads is a drill to measure thermal flow from the Moon’s core to its surface, an electrodynamic dust shield to clean surfaces, and an X-ray camera for imaging Earth’s magnetosphere. These instruments are part of the Commercial Lunar Payload Service (CLPS), a program that allows NASA to deliver equipment to the Moon at a lower cost by partnering with private companies like Firefly Aerospace.
The commercial lunar payload service (CLPS)
The CLPS initiative is crucial for NASA’s lunar exploration goals. By partnering with private companies, NASA can reduce costs associated with developing its own lunar landers. Firefly Aerospace will receive $101.5 million from NASA if all ten payloads successfully reach the lunar surface, with a reduced payment if the mission does not fully succeed. Blue Ghost is the third CLPS mission to the Moon, following previous attempts by Astrobotic and Intuitive Machines.
Mission progress and challenges
According to the New York Times, the Blue Ghost mission has thus far been virtually flawless. Having launched on January 15, 2025, the spacecraft circled Earth for 25 days to exercise its systems before traveling to the Moon in a four-day journey, entering lunar orbit on February 13. Although there have been some minor problems, like thermal alarms, mission controllers have made adjustments to keep the spacecraft performing in space.
When and how to watch the Blue Ghost landing
The Blue Ghost lander is scheduled to land on the Moon at 3:45 a.m. Eastern Time (2:15 pm IST) on March 2, 2025. Firefly Aerospace will provide live coverage of the event starting at 2:20 a.m. Eastern Time (12:50 pm IST) on the official YouTube channels of NASA and Firefly Aerospace.
