Blue Ghost Mission 1 at Work: NASA Moon Payload Updates | Firefly Aerospace

Blue Ghost Mission 1 at Work: NASA Moon Payload Updates | Firefly Aerospace

Blue Ghost Mission 1 landed successfully at Mare Crisium, on the near side of the Moon, on March 2, 2025. Firefly Aerospace Update: "Blue Ghost has been busy since parking on the Moon! Just in the last two days, the data we've downlinked jumped from 27 GB to 57 GB as we continue NASA payload operations. This includes deploying Lunar PlanetVac and sampling lunar regolith, deploying the Electrodynamic Dust Shield and demonstrating dust mitigation, capturing images from SCALPSS, and continuing operations for the other payloads . . ."

All NASA instruments onboard continue to be healthy and several payloads have already collected data, including:

The Electrodynamic Dust Shield (EDS) successfully lifted and removed lunar regolith, or dirt, using electrical forces on the glass and thermal radiator surfaces. The EDS re-duster also demonstrated its ability to move regolith (lunar soil and rock), aiding dust management. While data analysis continues, the dust instrument has fulfilled most of its objectives. These results confirm EDS as a promising solution for future lunar surface operations.

Shortly after landing, the Lunar GNSS Receiver Experiment (LuGRE) was powered on and began conducting their first science operation and acquired and tracked Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals on the lunar surface for the first time ever—approximately 225,000 miles away from Earth.

The Stereo Cameras for Lunar Plume-Surface Studies (SCALPSS) instrument captured images during the spacecraft’s lunar descent and touchdown on the lunar surface. Although the results are still being analyzed, this data provided by SCALPSS could help shed insight into the effects that engine plumes have on the surface.

Blue Ghost’s Surface Access Arm deployed the Lunar PlanetVac (LPV) that was developed to efficiently collect and transfer lunar soil from the Moon to other science instruments or sample return containers without relying on gravity. Since deployment, Lunar PlanetVac has begun sampling lunar regolith.

Learn more about the mission: 

https://fireflyspace.com/missions/blue-ghost-mission-1/

This is part of NASA’s Commercial Lunar Payload Services (CLPS) initiative and Artemis campaign to establish a long-term lunar presence. Blue Ghost Mission 1 will perform numerous science and technology demonstrations, including lunar subsurface drilling, sample collection, and X-ray imaging of Earth’s magnetic field to advance research for future human missions on the Moon and provide insights into how space weather impacts the planet. Mare Crisium is a lunar mare located in the Moon's Crisium basin, just northeast of Mare Tranquillitatis. It was formed by the flooding of basaltic lava that filled an ancient asteroid impact.

Learn more about NASA's CLPS Program:
https://www.nasa.gov/content/commercial-lunar-payload-services

Image Credit: Firefly Aerospace
Release Date: March 4, 2025

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